A Tomb To Forget
by Fenris242
Summary: Elena and Damon are unexpectedly stuck in the tomb. When they escape everything changes. The new vampire population in Mystic Falls wants Damon, and Elena is no longer sure of her feelings for Stefan.
1. Prologue

A/N: first time trying a VD fic, but the idea jumped in my head and i couldn't get it out...just a shortie chapter to see if anyone's interested in reading further...let me know by leaving a review....

-Fen

* * *

Bonnie and her grandmother were keeping the door open as long as they could, waiting for Elena and Stefan to get out. Sure, Damon was in there as well, but Bonnie could honestly care less about him. "We're almost there!" Bonnie heard Elena yell from inside the tomb.

"Keep moving!" Stefan's voice came from the tomb. He was the first one to reach the stone door of the tomb, but just as he made it through he lost Elena's hand. Turning to see what caused the separation he was stopped by the stone door closing. "No!" He screamed, banging on the stone and trying to push the tomb door open.

Bonnie and her grandmother fell to the ground exhausted and unable to keep the door open any longer or open it again.

"Stefan!" Elena cried from inside the tomb.

"I'm going to get you out!" Stefan called back to her and turned around to the two witches behind him.

* * *

_Moments Before the Tomb Closed_

Elena was right behind Stefan, moving as quickly as her body would allow. The stone door was in sight; they were almost out. Hearing a loud thud behind her, she turned to see what happened. Damon had been right behind her. She lost her grip on Stefan's hand and heard the large stone door shut. "Stefan!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, forgetting that Damon wasn't behind her. Slapping her hands against the cold stone, she heard a mumble come from the other side of the stone, but couldn't make out the words.

Turning and putting her back against the stone, she tried to see anything around her. It was completely dark except for a faint glow off in the distance from the torch they'd dropped on their way out. The flicker went dark for a moment as if something passed in front of it, and Elena immediately clenched her entire body. She didn't know how many vampires were in the tomb or how many of them would still be mobile. Just the smell of fresh blood could have caused any number of them to fight against their dilapidated physical state.

"Stop clenching. It's me." Elena heard Damon's familiar voice. Even in the unseeing dark, she could picture the smirk on his face "I wouldn't rely on him getting you out."

"Stefan will find a way to get the doors open."

"Not sure how, since one witch is ripped and the other is near death."

"What?" Elena turned back to the stone, but knew there was nothing she could do.

"Don't worry. Your BFF isn't the near dead one."

Elena gasped. "I don't believe you." She turned around to face his general direction, not being able to see him.

"Oh, I'm wounded." Damon grabbed Elena's arm and started to pull her away from the stone. "There has to be another way out of here."

Elena struggled and yanked her arm free from him. "If you think I'm going anywhere with you, you can think again. Stefan will find a way out, and I'm waiting here til he does."

"Fine, but don't come running to me when the waking vampires start clawing and biting at every little succulent part of your body."

"They're waking?" Elena was suddenly concerned for her own life.

"The smell of blood does that to a vampire." Damon paused as he turned and started to walk away from Elena. "But, be my guest. Stay here and wait for your lover boy to find a way to get the door open."

Elena thought for a moment then chased after Damon. "Can we at least stay in earshot of the door?"

"If that door opens, I'll hear it." Damon didn't slow his pace, but turned so he could see her approach. Without thinking about it, he grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers. "If anything touches you, I'll kill it."

Elena wasn't sure how to take such a serious statement from Damon, but the tone of his voice made it clear he wasn't being sarcastic like normal.


	2. Thank You

A/N: thanks everyone for the reviews, faves and alerts....i was more than a little surprised by the general want to read more of this...hopefully i'll prove to be capable of keeping your attention....here's the next chapter, a bit longer than the first, but not as long as i would have liked it to be....let me know what you guys think....

-Fen

* * *

Elena held her body as flat against the cold stone wall as she could. The darkness made it impossible for her to know if and when she should duck, jump or move. The deafening sound of snarls, growls, and flesh hitting stone or more flesh filled her ears. She couldn't escape the tomb, and was beginning to think that it might just be her grave. But Damon had promised to kill anything that touched her, and less than five minutes before, something had definitely touched her.

She'd squealed in surprise at a hand grabbing her ankle. Of course Damon kept his end of the bargain up and immediately ripped the head off the dead thing that couldn't help but go after the first smell of fresh blood in over a century. What Damon didn't expect was for the little bit of blood that was left in the vampire's body that spilled onto the ground to wake up and anger the other vampires. Vampires that had a very long time to come to terms with their demise. Vampires that had a very long time to swear vengeance on the brothers that put them in that tomb. Vampires that were resigned to dwell together in their eternal grave. Now, not only did one of their beloved become prey to the tomb intruders, but to Damon Salvatore.

Sure it had been almost a century and a half, but it was a century and a half that they had to memorize the smell of Salvatore blood; waiting for the time they would be resurrected from their grave and be able to seek their revenge.

Damon did not know the consequences of pissing off blood depraved vampires, especially ones that wanted nothing more than to spill his own blood. He soon found out.

It didn't take them long to start moving. Granted they weren't strong. That couldn't be argued, but the shear number of them was overwhelming. Damon never knew the exact amount of vampires that were locked in the church. He assumed a handful had been burned. He never thought there would be twenty or thirty of them. He was quickly knocked down. At which point, he yelled for Elena to find a corner and stay in it.

That's where she was; cowering in fear. Trying to make as little noise as possible. The last she wanted was to be noticed. Not that she wanted Damon to be killed, but if even one of them focused on her, it would be the end. Almost as quickly as it started, the fighting was over. From the deafening noise of the fight to silence caused Elena's heartbeat to quicken. There was absolutely no noise. She didn't want to be the dumb girl in the horror movie that called out for her friend while the killer was still walking around, but if Damon was dead, she was next on the list. She wouldn't be able to fend them off. "Damon?" She whispered as quickly as she could.

There was a shuffling noise. Like a body moving along the ground. "Damon, is that you?" She jumped and squealed again when a hand landed on her ankle again.

"Didn't you ever notice the dumb girl always dies first?"

"Damon." Her voice held a scolding tone until she realized that he sounded injured. Squatting down, she felt around for him. "Where are you? I can't see a thing."

"I'm right here." Elena jumped again as his mouth was right next to her ear. He proceeded to fall back against the wall, still in a half-sitting half-lounging position. "And I'm tired."

"Are you hurt?" Elena was still feeling around for him. Finding one of his legs, she ran her hand up it until she found the wall he was leaning against.

"I'm fine, but if you keep that up, I know exactly what we'll be doing to pass the time."

Elena removed her hand from his leg and leaned back against the wall next to him. "Damon. Be serious. Are you hurt? No macho bull. I need to know if you've been injured."

"And if I am, what are you gonna do about it?" When she didn't respond, Damon continued, "Precisely. So does it really matter?"

"If you're hurt, I need to know." Elena pushed on.

"Let's see. I just fought off twenty seven vampires set on killing me for either revenge or so you could be dinner. Yeah, I'm fine. Not a single scratch."

"Damn it, Damon! Answer the question!"

Clenching his jaw as tight as he could he reigned himself in. "Does this answer your question?" Damon grabbed her hand and put it against his face.

Elena inhaled sharply at the feeling under her fingertips. Damon's handsome face was no longer smooth and perfect sculpted. Elena could feel scratches and gashes. Lifting her other hand up, she cupped his face in her hands. Using her hands to see what her eyes couldn't, she quickly assessed the situation. His face was torn up; she could feel his blood on her hands as she felt her way down his neck. Moving from his neck down his shirt, or what was left of it, Elena could only feel the wet stickiness of the blood that was on the shirt. Being soft and gentle, she ran her hands – on top of the shirt – over his chest and abdomen.

It was Damon's turn to inhale as he let his head fall back against the stone wall. Elena stopped her exploration when she got to his waist. "Right now, you need this more than I do."

Before Damon could ask what she was talking about, her wrist was touching his lips. "Elena, you're not dinner."

"Yes I am. If there are more vampires in here with us, I need you alive and able to fight them off."

"So this is for completely selfish reasons?" Damon breath was cold on Elena's wrist.

"What other reason is there?" Elena knew, if anything, Damon could relate to that.

"Nice try. I have to admit, you almost had me convinced. What you forget is that you're a selfless person. Even when you hate me, you want to help me."

"Do not!" It was the only argument Elena could come up with because he was right. Even when she wanted nothing more than to see him as a big pile of ashes, if he needed her help or saving, she'd do it.

"Trying to convince yourself is the hardest part." Damon pushed her wrist from his face. "I'm not feeding on you."

"Yes you are. We don't know how long we'll be down here. You're going to eventually have to feed. Besides, if we're going to try and find a way out of here, you'll need to be able to walk and move and see. Especially see since I can't even see my hand in front of my face." Elena waved her hand in front of her.

Damon chuckled but grabbed her wrist and brought it to his mouth. Elena was surprised at first, but relaxed when she felt his lips on her wrists. He held her wrist with both hands. His tongue darted out and licked her wrist before his teeth pierced her skin.

Elena yelped at the pain. It was more painful than she thought it would be, but the pain quickly subsided as she could feel the blood flowing out of her body and into his mouth. He drank for no more than ten seconds before retracting his teeth. Licking her wound once more so it would heal a little faster, he released her wrist.

"We should rest a little before trying to explore." Damon leaned back and allowed his body to slide down the wall until he was laying on the ground. Laying flat on his back, his left arm outstretched and his right hand resting on his stomach, he was surprised to feel Elena's body against his own. She curled against his side with her back to him and used his arm as a pillow.

Even with the surprise of her body against his own, Damon couldn't resist the urge to sleep and let his body heal. He was almost asleep when he heard Elena whisper, "I'm sorry."

Curious, Damon roused his mind in order to make competent conversation. He rolled his body so they were in a spooning position and his mouth was next to her ear. "What do you have to be sorry for?"

Damon could feel the soft smile form on her mouth as she shifted on his arm. "I'm sorry she wasn't here."

Elena might not have been able to feel it, but she knew exactly what his face looked like. The mischievous smirk gone and dreamy eyes dissolved. She could sense the pain in his eyes and the frown on his face. If she really listened, she might have been able to feel the ache and breaking of his heart. Damon felt the immediate need to lighten the mood. "But I'm not sorry you're stuck here with me." Elena slapped the arm that she was using as a pillow. "Hey! Look at it from my side. If you're not here, I'm not only here alone, but there would be no one searching for a way to get me out of here. You've got a ton of friends that are up there trying to find a way in."

"I thought you were my only way out?"

"I'm new to this whole trying to comfort someone other than myself, give me a break."

The playfulness was back in his voice. Elena smiled again. "I would."

"You would what?"

"I'd find a way to get you out."

Breathing his chuckle, Damon grinned against her neck. "You say that now because otherwise you _will_ be dinner."

Elena raised an eyebrow and laughed a little before responding. "No, really. I would try my best to get you out. Even if Stefan didn't agree with me."

Damon wrapped his free arm around Elena. "Thank you." He whispered before ushering them both into a silent and dreamless sleep.


	3. Daydreams of Lunch

A/N: got a little sidetracked taking care of my sick roomie and didn't get this done until just now....so i'd like to dedicate this chapter to jesse (cause she's finally stopped throwing up all over the house and freaking the dogs out)...and also to my cous, Lind, because without her this fic would not only not exist, but it wouldn't be plotted nearly as well as it is....let me know what you guys think by leaving a review at the end....they make me write faster....and trust me, waking up the morning after posting my last chapter and finding 16 reviews already on my phone, i was more than a bit shocked....keep up the reviews....

-Fen

* * *

Damon began to stir the following morning, or at least he assumed it was morning. He was laying on his back on the hard cold floor of the tomb. He'd remembered being stuck in the tomb, but had momentarily forgot why there was a warm body curled up next to him. Turning, he remembered. He remembered fighting and killing the vampires that were trying to killing her. He remembered feeding from her in order to get his strength back.

He remembered their playful banter before going to sleep, and although it didn't happen yet, he would remember the feel of her body pushing back against his. The feel of her snuggling into his strong, cold frame. The soft mix of whimpering and moaning sounds that escaped her lips as she warmed his body with her own. The smell of her – not the smell of her hair, perfume or body wash, but her smell. It had been so long since he'd been human he couldn't remember if it was a vampire thing or not, but he could relate a smell to an individual person.

Certainly he'd smelled her on Stefan before with the amount of time his brother spent with the human girl, but he would no longer relate _that_ smell with Stefan, but with Elena alone. _Wait, moaning? _Damon pulled himself from memorizing her smell so he could focus on the present. _Definitely a moan. _He momentarily wondered if she always made these sounds when she was asleep. He'd have to ask her, because he sure as hell wouldn't be asking his brother. He could just imagine how that conversation would go.

Before he was able to run that argument through his head, the tingling feeling in his arm demanded to be dealt with. Elena had been sleeping on his arm all night. He couldn't even feel his hand, let alone his fingertips. Contemplating the best way to free his arm and not wake Elena, he came to the conclusion that there was no other option but to wake her.

Ignoring the growing pain in his arm so that he could enjoy the feeling of having a warm body, let alone having it be Elena's warm body, next to his own, he finally decided it was time to wake her. "Elena." He whispered her name with his mouth right next to her ear. "Elena." His method was having the opposite reaction of his goal. Instead of waking, she turned over and faced him. Snaking her arm under his leather jacket, she pulled herself closer to his body and continued with her whimpering sounds.

Rolling his eyes, he lifted his free hand to touch her cheek but was greeted with a surprise before he got close to her face. As his fingers grazed her waist, Damon felt her whole body twitch. As the side of his mouth lifted in a lopsided grin, he let his fingers go to work. Quickly running his fingers along her waistline, he watched as her body writhed, but she still didn't wake. His mouth in a full ear-to-ear grin, he used his vampire speed to attack her torso.

Swatting at his hand, Elena started to rouse out of her sleep. "Stop it." In true Damon fashion, he didn't listen and continued to pester her awake. Finally, Elena opened her eyes as she tried to get Damon's fingers off her body. "Damon! What are you doing?"

"Trying to feel my arm again." He flexed the fingers on his trapped arm for show, but forgot that she couldn't see what he was doing.

"Oh." Elena quickly sat up and pulled her legs up to her chest as she realized that they were still in the tomb. "I see you haven't found a way out yet." Her stomach growled in protest to not receiving any form of nourishment in close to twelve hours.

"What was that? Your stomach's louder than your mouth." Damon bantered as he flexed his hand and tried to get the blood flowing.

"Sorry, I haven't eaten in awhile."

"Fifteen percent my ass. This waiter will be lucky to get a penny from me."

Elena chuckled at Damon's attempt to lighten the mood as she realized they weren't any closer to getting out of the tomb. After a few moments silence, she asked, "Are you better now? I mean, healed?"

Damon ran his good hand over his stomach and face. "Don't even think I'll get a cool scar to show off later." Again, they drifted into silence as Damon looked at their surroundings, trying to come up with an escape. His thoughts were interrupted by Elena's stomach growling again. "Since it's obvious our waiter isn't coming back, I don't have much to offer, but my blood will keep you alive longer than nothing at all." Damon watched the grimace appear on her face.

"Thanks, but no thanks."

"Tastes like chicken."

"I'm not drinking your blood. What if something happens to me?"

"Like what?" Damon challenged.

"I don't know, like this place caves in."

Damon raised his eyebrows, "Then we get out."

Elena shook her head, "Yea, and I die."

Shrugging his shoulders, Damon replied, "Then you get to spend and eternity with me. So it's a win-win."

Again, Elena chuckled, but decided they needed a subject change. "Did you sleep well?"

"Like the dead until I couldn't feel my arm because of the sassy freshie sleeping on it." Damon thought for a moment then continued, "Speaking of sleeping, do you always moan in your sleep?"

"I do not moan in my sleep." Elena argued.

"Sure you do. You also waggle your ass. No wonder Stefan likes sleepovers. I would too."

Elena reached out in the darkness and shoved Damon as best she could; but her judgment was off, and she ended up nearly falling over as he was further away than she thought.

"Very graceful." Damon taunted. Standing up, he took Elena's hand in his own. "We should start trying to find a way out of here before it becomes your grave."

Even with his advantage of being able to see in the dark, it was extremely hard to search the tomb. Damon found himself constantly watching out to make sure Elena was both alright and safe and no other vampires were hiding around corners. It took him a considerably longer amount of time to search because of this and also because he was checking every nook and cranny. He was leaving no inch unturned. There had to be a way out; he just needed to find it.

After spending more than half the day searching, Damon could tell that Elena was getting tired. Although she couldn't see anything, it didn't stop her from running her hands over the walls. "We can rest for a little."

Elena sighed and sat down on the ground. "How far did we get? Halfway?"

Damon laughed. "We're lucky if we're halfway to halfway."

Elena grunted. She didn't want to continue, but knew it wasn't an option to stop. "Can you tell if Stefan's been back? Or Bonnie? Anyone?"

"No one's out there. Living or otherwise." Damon sniffed the air. "Wait." He sighed and melted slightly. "There is a delicious smelling hiker just-"

"Stop daydreaming about lunching on the hiker."

Damon turned to Elena. "Ah, I'm sorry Elena. All you had to do was say you wanted to be the focal point of my daydreams."

Making a face and rolling her eyes in his general direction, "Yea, mmhmm, keep dreaming. I just don't want you thinking about lunch out there and deciding I look like lunch in here."

"But you are lunch." Damon argued.

"If you keep that up, maybe I won't be." Elena teased.

Quicker than Elena could have imagined, she felt Damon standing right in front of her. A breath away from her face. "Elena, do _not_ confuse me for my brother. He may be able to control or hide his bloodlust, but if I don't feed, you can't hold me responsible for ripping your tight little body to pieces." Damon turned his head to look down a corridor they hadn't traveled yet. "I don't think we've tried this direction.

Elena was surprised when Damon didn't grab her hand and lead her with him. _He's just left me here._ Instead of calling after him, Elena figured it was best to let him cool off. She hadn't meant to anger him; she was teasing like they'd been doing most of the morning.

What she didn't realize was that Damon had been hungry since the moment he woke up, but he hadn't even asked to feed off her again. No, he wouldn't beg. He never begged for blood. So instead, he left her alone in the safest place he could find. The room held only one entrance and was far enough away from the entrance that there was no threat that he missed one of the vampires alive.

Elena sat back down on the ground and rested while she waited for Damon to come back. At least she hoped he would come back.


	4. Feeding

A/N: still loving all the love you guys are sending my way....keep up the good job of reviews....it's because of all the great reviews (and lengthy-for the most part- i'd like to add) that this chapter is both done and so long....hope you guys enjoy....as always, let me know by leaving a review...it'll definitely inspire me to write faster....

-Fen

* * *

Elena waited and waited, but Damon didn't return and she was getting more and more tired by the minute. Finally deciding to try and get some rest, Elena found a corner and curled herself up. She quickly fell asleep, hoping if anything did come to harm her Damon wouldn't be it or he'd hear it.

Damon returned to the spot where he'd left Elena to find her slouched in the corner. He could tell she was just starting to stir from her nap. He had a surprise for her, but hadn't decided on delivery yet; so he waited. He wanted her to be awake when he made his move. It would be more entertaining for him that way.

He stood in the pitch dark room and watched Elena's eyes flutter open. He watched her raise her arms over her head and stretch them toward the sky. He watched her chest rise as she took in a deep breath. He watched as her back arched for the intake of breath. He watched her hands come down and stretch out toward her feet. He watched as she pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

Her head was moving around the room as if she was trying to make something out. Anything, but he knew better. He could barely see; there was no chance he could even make out shapes or shadows.

Slowly, he moved toward her. He crouched down in front of her. Her head twisted as if she knew someone was there. Maybe she could smell him. He doubted it, but there was a chance.

Just as she raised her arm to feel the air in front of her, Damon spoke, "I've got something I think you'll like." Elena's whole body jumped at the sound of his voice and Damon smirked. "That's such a sweet smell."

Elena swung her arm to try and hit him, but he quickly evaded her. "That's not funny, Damon; and what smell?"

"Fear and adrenaline. Now do you want to know what the surprise is?"

"Is it a way out?" Elena asked, quickly getting over the fact that Damon was just trying to get a rise out of her.

"Nope, and I'm not playing twenty questions."

Elena heard a clack of mental followed by a striking sound. She was forced to cover her eyes as Damon lit a torch with the zippo he had in his jacket. "You had a lighter this whole time, and you've been making me wander around in the dark." Elena scolded and uncovered her eyes as they adjusted to the light. "I've been following you around blind and you had that this whole time?"

"Really? You're angry? Fine. I'll put it out." Damon moved to drop the torch on the ground and stomp it out but Elena grabbed his arm to stop him. With his jaw clenched, he looked directly at her with a question in his eyes. Cocking his head slightly as if to ask the question, he saw the pleading in her eyes. With the slightest nod of his head, he lifted the torch. "If I would have given you the lighter, it would have been out in less than half an hour and then I wouldn't have been able to light this."

Elena nodded, but scrunched up her nose up as she looked at Damon holding the torch. "What are you wearing?"

Damon smirked as he looked down at himself. He'd stolen a shirt from one of the dead vampires and ripped the sleeves off. Letting the ties around the neck loose and not tucking it in, he had put his leather jacket on over top. He looked like he was trying to pull off a vampiric pirate look and it wasn't boding well for him. "My shirt was ripped to shreds and I couldn't risk you being sidetracked by my ripped abs when we have a lot of work to get done." Elena smiled at him. Damon could make any conversation about his body and how good it looked. Even in a shirt from the 1860s. "This should make our search a lot faster." He handed the torch to Elena. "Just keep it behind me."

Elena accepted the torch as her stomach growled again. "Shhh." She tried willing her body to ignore the fact that it was starving.

"My offer's still on the table."

"We need to find a way out of here." Elena replied and started toward the opening to search the rest of the tomb.

It took most of the rest of the day to finish searching the tomb. Elena was ready to call it quits and wait til Stefan returned to rescue them when she noticed Damon was paying close attention to one of the corners of the chamber they were currently occupying. "Did you find something?" She asked, walking toward him. Damon his nodded his head but didn't turn away from the ceiling. "What?" Elena asked looking at the same spot on the ceiling. "Wow, Damon. Should I get you an award? You found a crack!"

"It's not just a crack."

"Really, cause that's what it looks like to me."

"Yeah, it's a crack, but it's also a weak spot. It must have cracked while the witches were holding the tomb open. If we work on it, we might be able to get part of it to collapse."

"I believe I mentioned something about this place collapsing earlier and me dieing, in case you forgot."

"I didn't forget and we wouldn't make the whole place collapse. We just need a hole big enough for me to fit through. Once we can get through, we dig through the ground and eventually we end up above ground."

"That's a little far-fetched, don't ya think?"

"You got a better plan?" Elena opened her mouth, but Damon stopped her. "One that doesn't involve waiting around for the lovesick puppy that hasn't been back since he left with the witches." Elena kept her mouth shut. "Then we give my idea a shot. We'll need to rest before we start in on it. Stay here." Damon moved to leave the chamber.

"Where are you going?"

"Back to the dead vampires."

"For what?"

"We're gonna need tools."

Elena thought about it for a moment. "Bones are a bit primitive."

"Elena, if you haven't noticed, we're stuck in an ancient tomb. Not exactly an orange box store where we can just go and pick up a couple shovels and a pick axe. I won't be long."

Damon left the chamber and he didn't lie. It wasn't long before he was back in the chamber and dropping a stack of bones and cloth on the ground.

"What's the clothes for? We putting on a fashion show?" Elena asked.

Not missing a beat, Damon replied, "Only if I get to watch you change."

"Seeing as there isn't a proper dressing room in this tomb, I'd get a show too."

Damon quirked his eyebrow toward Elena. Was she joking or was she being serious? He couldn't tell.

Elena rolled her eyes, "That'd go over real well with Stefan." Shaking her head, she leaned back against the wall.

"See, we were having a good time; sleeping together, feeding from each other, well at least me from you, and talking about stripping down to our skivvies and you gotta go and mention his name. Total downer." Damon leaned against the wall next to Elena. He heard her stomach growl again. "I'm not giving you a choice this time. You're going to drink my blood."

"No, I'm not; especially since your goal is to get this room to collapse. Do you really want to explain Vampire Elena to everyone?"

"No." Damon conceded, but only for a moment, "But I also don't want to explain _dead_ Elena either. Besides, you need to have your energy if we're going to do this."

"So do you." Elena replied, holding her arm up so Damon could see the marks from his fangs piercing her flesh the night before.

Damon reached out and took the torch from her. Moving to the pile of bones and clothes, he quickly made a tripod for the torch to sit in, then walked back over to Elena.

He pulled her away from the wall and stepped behind her. Elena immediately went stiff as a board as he pulled her hair off her left shoulder. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he slowly let it travel down her arm before gently taking her wrist in his hand. He paid close attention to her rising heart beat and sharp breathing.

As he lifted her arm, he moved himself closer to her so his body was pressed against her back. Using his speed, he lifted his own wrist and tore it open. Allowing the blood to begin to flow from the wound, he wrapped his arm around her and held his wrist in front of her mouth. He could tell she wanted nothing to do with it, but he couldn't allow her to starve.

Forcing his wrist against her mouth as the same time he lifted her wrist to his own mouth, he punctured her wrist in the same spot as before. It would provide the least amount of pain, and hopefully it wouldn't scar.

Damon held her weight as she leaned back against him unable to process what was happening at first. He'd done this with other vampires in the past, but never with a human. It was definitely different with a human. With a vampire, it was a way to share information. Feeding from each other at the same time formed a network of sorts where information could be shared simply by thinking of it. It was a handy trick to use against a weaker vampire as the stronger would be able to see if the weaker was trustworthy or not. Damon was able to keep himself out of more than a few tricky situations by using this. Once he realized the vampire was going to turn on him, he simply used his strength to pull his wrist from their mouth and then drained them dry.

Using this with a human was definitely different. Damon wasn't sure if it was because Elena was human, or if it was because she was Elena, but he was thoroughly enjoying it.

It was like having a virtual tour of her mind and vice versa. He was able to feel her fear; an emotion he hadn't felt in a very long time. He could feel her body rejuvenating with the intake of his blood. He could feel her love for his brother; and probably the greatest thing he took away from it, was the feeling of her love for him.

Elena was not as practiced but she figured Damon must have been helping her. The first thing she felt was the urge to continue drinking blood. That feeling was quickly squashed by a peacefulness she'd never felt before. She figured it was Damon trying to make the action easier on her. It was obvious he had done this before and she was already stressed out by being stuck in the tomb. _He's just trying to make this easier on me so I can help dig our way out of here._

What she didn't know was that the peaceful feeling that was radiating from Damon was caused by the fact that he knew she loved him. It might not have been the same way that she loved Stefan, and he would never want that, but she loved him nonetheless.

Damon realized they needed to stop, and began pulling his wrist from Elena's mouth. He hesitated to release her wrist. He could have stayed like that for the rest of his undead life if he could have. It was a wonderful feeling, but he knew he needed to pretend like he didn't know what he knew.

"My blood will help that heal faster." Damon said as he let her wrist go. Placing his hands on her waist, he steadied her so she wasn't leaning all her weight on him. Not that he minded.

Elena turned around. "Am I supposed to be tired? Cause I'm really tired. You think we can do that rest thing now?" She was feeling light-headed.

"It's probably a combination of having the blood in your empty stomach and my feeding from you." Damon helped her down into a sitting position on the floor.

She turned and waited until he was laying on the ground then laid down next to him with her head on his arm like the night before. Without realizing it, she snuggled into his side and was quickly fast asleep.

Damon laid there staring at the ceiling. Sighing, he rolled on his side so he was facing Elena. As if on queue, she rolled in her sleep so that instead of having her back to him, she was facing him. Damon took the opportunity to watch her sleep, knowing he'd never get the chance again if everything went as planned.

Falling asleep quicker than he would have liked, he was greeted by a blissful dreamless sleep. Something he wasn't very accustomed to.

Elena woke before Damon the next morning. She was completely comfortable even though her body was pressed into Damon's side and their legs were slightly tangled. Elena laid there watching him sleep. The soft purr emitting from deep in his chest almost lulling her back to sleep. She could feel his body tense every so often but it would immediately relax. His arm was wrapped around her back with his hand resting on her waist. Every time his body tensed that hand wrapped itself just a bit tighter around her as if to make sure she couldn't move away from him. _Wait, purring? _Elena listened closer, and sure enough he was purring. A soft rumble coming from his chest. Not a noise he was making in the back of his throat, but a noise that he obviously couldn't fake.

Making a mental note of the purring to check if Stefan did the same, she decided to test him. Using just her fingertips, she ran a finger over his abdomen. He shifted but out of nothing more than annoyance. Elena got bolder, still using the tips of her fingers, she tried being a bit more blunt about her tickling.

Instead of getting an excited giggle or swat to the hand like she expected, she watched a large smile form on Damon's face and his purring got louder, but his body didn't move. Raising her eyebrow at him, she lurched her hand forward and attacked his ribs.

Damon quickly grabbed her hand and halted her movements. "I _was _sleeping."

"And now you're not."

Not opening his eyes, Damon initially tightened his grip on her waist, and then realized what he was doing and released her. "Since you're so eager to wake me up, I'm assuming you're ready to get to work on the plan."

Elena grunted. She'd forgotten about the plan. An idea entered her mind, sidetracking him, she said, "Did you know you purr?"

Damon opened his eyes at this bit of information. He'd never been told he purred before. "Like a cat?"

"Mmmhmmm. A big one." Elena replied.

"Elena, if you wanted to calm me your sexy tiger, you just had to say so. There's no need to make up lies about vampires purring." Elena half-sighed, half-grunted as she shoved him and got up.

Damon stayed on the ground and watched her get up and fix her hair in a ponytail. She smoothed out her clothes then looked down at Damon. "The first thing I'm doing when we get out of here is take a shower."

"Is that an invitation?"

"Sure." Elena smiled at the surprise on Damon's face. "You can take a shower, too, but I'm calling dibs on getting it first."

Damon rolled his eyes and pulled himself into a sitting position. "Hand me some of those clothes."

Elena grabbed the pile and brought it over to him. "What are you doing with them anyway? You never did tell me."

Damon started wrapping them around his hands. "You didn't think we were going to chisel our way through the stone with a few bones did you?" When Elena didn't respond, "The bones are for digging through the dirt. The clothes are protection for my fists."


	5. A Rescued Escape

A/N: originally this chapter was supposed to be apart of the next chapter....but as i was writing, i realized that this was becoming far longer than it was planned to be...thank you LIND!! ....two minds work great together....anyway, here's the next chappie....the next one probably won't be too long of a wait as it's completely outlined and half the dialogue is already written on about fifteen little sheets of paper from work....and i do apologize for the lack of damon in this chapter, but it was necessary....hopefully you like it....whether you do or don't, please leave a review!! ...they make me write faster!

-Fen

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"I'm not sure about this. I don't really know what I'm doing, and I don't want to make things worse than they already are." She stumbled as she walked through the high brush.

"Things can't possibly get worse." Stefan had taken the lead as soon as he and Bonnie were out of her car. "Elena's locked in that tomb with Damon. God only knows what he's-- if he's harmed a single hair on her head--" He let his sentence hang, not wanting to think about the harm Elena could have befallen at the hands of his brother. "The entrance is right up here." Stefan pointed off to the side. "Like we agreed, you try what you can, I'll search the area for another way in."

Bonnie nodded and headed for the tomb entrance. She had her grandmother's spell book, which she placed on the ground before sitting down with it in front of her. Flipping through the book, she found the page she had bookmarked as the best way to get into the tomb.

While Bonnie setup and began the ritual, Stefan explored the surrounding area. There had to be another way in. He had to make sure Elena was okay; because if she wasn't Damon wouldn't live to see the moon another night.

Stefan never wanted to leave the night Elena got trapped, but Bonnie's exhaustion and the failing health of her grandmother forced him to think of them first. Stefan knew Damon had fed that day, so there wasn't as much of a concern. Then the next day came and Stefan learned that Bonnie's grandmother hadn't made it through the night.

As much as he hated to do it, he used her grandmother as an excuse for Elena's aunt. Quickly calling Jenna, he'd explained that Elena had stayed at Bonnie's the night before and was going to be staying for the next few nights. Jenna understood, knowing the relationship between the two teens and thanked Stefan for the phone call. Jenna figured she'd wait until she saw Bonnie to pass on her condolences.

Stefan spent the remainder of the day at Bonnie's house assisting her with making the proper preparations and waiting for her father to arrive. Even though Elena was on his mind the entire time, he refused to even mention it. He knew Bonnie was the only person that could open the tomb door and pissing her off wasn't a good idea.

Surprised when she confronted him that second night, Stefan was stunned that she had even taken the time to look through her Grams' spell book. When she got the time to do that without Stefan noticing, he didn't know, but she did; and what was better: she had a plan.

Using the information that her grandmother and foremother's had put in the book, Bonnie felt somewhat confident that she could pull off opening the tomb; but she did warn Stefan that it wouldn't be a fast process. The ritual was very complicated and would probably take her most of the day to complete.

As much as Stefan didn't want to wait that long, he agreed, but under the condition that while she did the ritual he would search for a secondary route. Bonnie liked the idea of possibly finding an alternate as she was completely sure she had the power necessary to do the ritual.

So, as Stefan moved about the woods, Bonnie positioned herself in front of the tomb. Both trying their hardest to get Elena out safely.

Bonnie was almost an hour in when Stefan returned to the entrance looking defeated. Taking a break where she could, Bonnie looked up at him. "No luck."

"Nothing."

"Can you tell if she's still in there?" Bonnie didn't want to ask the obvious question of _is she still alive_, so she went with still in there.

"I get an occasion whiff of her, but I can't tell. It could just be residual." Stefan was careful not to say that he might be able to get a good scent because she was dead. He didn't want to hear those words just as much as Bonnie didn't. "How's the ritual coming along?"

"Slowly, but surely."

"Do you need anything?"

Bonnie shook her head and looked down at the spell book. Stefan started to say something, but stopped when Bonnie held a hand up and started reading from the book.

_Tiime for another lap._ Stefan turned and started to make his way around the woods again.

Just as he was about to return to the tomb entrance and see how Bonnie was doing, his whole body froze as his nose caught a very familiar scent. Closing his eyes to focus, he turned his head from side to side until he finally pinpointed the source.

Yelling for Bonnie to come, Stefan raced to the spot where he could smell Elena. Her scent was so strong; stronger than he ever remembered it being. Almost as if it were absorbed and being radiated through the light. Stefan reached the spot where her scent was the strongest just in time to see a hand poking through the ground. A hand with a very distinct ring on it.

Reaching down, Stefan grabbed the hand and yanked his brother's body out of the ground. He could smell Elena on him. Her blood in his veins. "You couldn't resist, could you?! Not even for a few days! What is wrong with you?!" Stefan punctuated his last question by throwing Damon nearly a hundred feet into a tall oak tree.

Damon's back hit the tree and he fell to the ground as Stefan charged after him. He may not have been feeding according to his normal routine in the last couple days, but Damon, with Elena's blood in his veins, was still stronger than Stefan, with animal blood in his veins. Swiftly dodging his brother's attack, it was Stefan's turn to go flying into a tree as his brother threw him.

Turning his back on Stefan, he noticed the witch approaching. "You have to wait your turn." Damon raised his hand to Bonnie as she rushed passed him to get to Stefan.

After being helped up by Bonnie, Stefan started back to where she saw Damon holding a large rock above his head and throwing it through the hole his body made in the ground when Stefan pulled him out.

"Damon! What are you doing?!" Stefan called as he watched his brother put more than half his body head first into the hole. Stefan looked at Bonnie; she just shrugged.

After a few minutes, Damon started to pull his body of the hole. Stefan watched as his brother kept his hands in the ground as if he were pulling something of great importance out. "What did you find in there?" Stefan was more curious than ever.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing." Damon replied, but continued to pull.

Stefan was stunned still when he saw another hand in Damon's. "You didn't--" Stefan stopped himself from finishing the sentence as he ran over and helped Damon pull Elena out of the ground. "Elena! I was so worried."

Elena briefly wrapped her hands around Stefan's neck before releasing him. "Shower, food, sleep. In that order."

"Whatever you want." Stefan replied, taking her hand and turning.

Elena looked at Damon's smirk. "What?" She asked, not following Stefan immediately.

"Just wondering if your invitation was still open." He was smirking, as he knew his brother was listening to their conversation.

"Of course it is." Elena smirked back at him. "And I still have first dibs."

Damon chuckled. "Then I guess I should take the long way home." He bowed his head to her before turning and walking in the opposite direction.

Elena caught up to Stefan. He'd followed Bonnie to the tomb entrance so she could retrieve her belongings. "Oh my god, Bonnie! I didn't even see you!" Elena grabbed her best friend in a tight hug. "Thank you." She whispered as she continued to hold her friend close. "For coming back. Thank you for coming back."

"It's the least I could do." She didn't want to tell Elena about her grandmother just yet. Elena had just escaped from the tomb that she'd been stranded in with Damon for nearly two full days. She didn't need the added drama. Besides, she'd already talked with Stefan and asked him to inform her of the events once she was rested and could handle it. Not when she was exhausted. Bonnie knew Elena would want to help with anything and everything she could. And that was okay, as long as it was tomorrow and Elena had a chance to get a full belly and a good night's sleep. Yes. Stefan would tell her in the morning. "Should I drop you off at home?" Bonnie asked.

The question sent Elena for a tailspin. It was a simple straight forward question, and the answer should have been yes; but Elena couldn't think of the question or an answer to it. All she could think of were Damon's words, _Then I guess I should take the long way home_. Home. He'd just assumed she would be going back to the boarding house instead of her own home. Home. Surely he considered it his own home, but had he presumed that she saw it as home too? Was he offering it to be her home? Did Elena want to accept the offer? Did she want to accept anything from Damon? Their relationship had surely changed in that tomb, and Elena wondered if everything would go back to the way it was, or if the Damon that had protected her from vampires, fed her his own blood to keep her alive, and kept his promise of finding them a way out would stay around. She certainly wanted the new and improved version to be Damon's regular personality, but nothing could be certain with Damon.

"Elena? Did you hear me?" Bonnie snapped her fingers in front of Elena's face.

"What? Oh, yes, I mean no, I'm going to the boarding house." Elena noticed the surprised look on both Bonnie and Stefan's faces. Bonnie, she expected, but not Stefan. Maybe he was just surprised because he hadn't offered. "I don't think it would be a good idea to show looking like this." Elena was careful not to same home. She wasn't sure where her home was at that moment.

It was a short distance to the boarding house, and Elena tried her best to stay awake, but about ten minutes out, she slouched in the back seat as her body refused to stay awake any longer.

Bonnie pulled up to the front door. "Do you need help?" She asked, looking at Stefan.

"I think I can manage." Stefan smiled as he lifted Elena out of the car. Stooping down to look in the window, "I'll tell her in the morning. I'm sure she'll want to come over."

"Thank you, Stefan. I'd love to stay and help. I just don't think I can."

"Go home, Bonnie, and get some sleep." Stefan straightened his back and walked to the front door.

Just as he was going to shift Elena's weight so he could open the door, the door opened for him. "Damon." Stefan glared at his brother, still not happy about the fact that he could smell Elena on him. He was going to get an explanation about that one way or another.

"Stefan." Damon mocked his seriousness. "Awe, so cute." Damon nodded tot he sleeping Elena. Turning his back and walking away, he called back over his shoulder, "Be careful. She waggles." An unmistakable smile was plastered to his face as he made his way up the stairs and to the bathroom.

Stefan careful set Elena down on one of the couches in the den. He was removing her shoes when she started to stir awake. She sighed as her eyes fluttered open and then immediately closed. "Damon, knock it off!" She scolded swiping at her feet. Then realizing that she wasn't in the tomb, Elena's body shot up. "Stefan? What are you doing?"

"I was going to take your shoes off. I figured it would be easier to sleep without them." Stefan looked at her sideways. She was different somehow, but he couldn't quite place it. "Something wrong?"

Elena thought for a moment. "Yeah." Stefan was surprised. "I'm showering and eating before I sleep." Elena got up and headed for the steps, padding through the house in her bare feet as if it were her own.

She started up the steps when Stefan registered what she was doing, "Elena, I wouldn't-" He called after her, but she was already up the stairs. He didn't know where she was getting her energy from, but it surprised and scared him at the same time.

Elena opened the door to the bathroom to meet the steam filled room. Across the room, she could see the glass stall. Knowing exactly who was on the other side, she stormed across the room. She didn't touch the stall door, but glared through it at his slender, muscular body. She could only make out the top half as the steam and frosted glass prevented her from seeing below his waist.

He was lathering shampoo into his hair and rinsing it out as she reached the door. The suds were running down his spine as he ran his hands through his hair.

"I though I said I had first dibs on the shower!" Elena scolded and smirked when she saw Damon's body jump.

He whipped around and started to say, "First come, fir--"

But Elena interrupted him. "I scared you!" She squealed and pointed at him laughing.

"No!" Damon said pointedly, trying to brush it off. Running his hand over the steamed up glass so he could look her in the eye. "You merely caught me off guard." Stefan reached the bathroom door just as his brother finished, "Having my blood in your system makes it a bit harder for me to tell when you're around."

Stefan's jaw dropped. She'd drank Damon's blood? Why? Just as he was about to burst through the door and demand answers, he realized that after two days, Elena must have been starving and there was no way they were going to get out of that tomb without the two of them working at it. He just hoped that Elena would decide to tell him and not try and keep it a secret. Stefan walked away from the bathroom and grabbed a change of clothes for Elena.

"Yea, yea. Excuses, excuses. I still scared you." Elena had a hand on her hip as she watched Damon back up from the glass, only to watch the glass door open a few seconds later. Elena's eyes enlarged as she anticipated what was coming next.

Damon walked out of the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist. She hadn't even seen him grab it off the ledge of the stall. Damon walked up next to Elena and leaned into her ear. Not turning his head, he whispered as softly as he could, not sure if he wanted his brother to hear him or not. "You'll be the one trying to come up with excuses later. Either to stop yourself from coming to my room and sleeping with your big...sexy...tiger, or to explain to Stefan why you prefer the purr of this maniacal cat."

As quickly as he had walked up to her, he was gone and out of the room. Elena certainly felt the need for a shower, but now she contemplated turning the cold water on instead of the hot.

After showering, she moseyed to the kitchen downstairs to find Damon drinking a glass of what she assumed was blood. "You hungry?" Damon asked, holding his glass out.

"No thanks." Elena replied. "I've had enough of that for a lifetime."

"It's not so bad once you get used to it. If it's the price I have to pay to keep this body for eternity, then pour me another." Damon lifted one side of his mouth as he waggled his eyebrows.

"I'm hungry." Elena said, sitting down on one of the stools at the counter.

"Make up your mind." Damon rolled his eyes as Stefan walked in with a bag from a take out chinese restaurant. Walking past Elena, he set their house phone down on the counter next to where she sat.

She quirked her head sideways at him, before realizing what he meant. Picking up the phone, she started to dial the familiar number.

"Who are you calling?" Stefan asked, as he made her plate.

"Aunt Jenna." Elena put the phone up to her ear just as Stefan grabbed it and hung up. "Stefan? What are you doing?"

"Jenna thinks you're at Bonnie's. I'll explain everything in the morning. For right now, why don't we just eat and get you to bed."

Puzzled, but her exhaustion started to over take her, Elena agreed and quickly ate the meal before her, not even tasting the food as she inhaled it.

Stefan took her bowl and put it in the sink before going back and picking her up. He carried her all the way up the stairs to his bedroom where he laid her down. Climbing into the bed next to her, he held her as she fell asleep in his arms.

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A/N: do you guys get as excite as i do when i see a story alert come in?? i mean, i've already taken my phone to bed just so i could read a fic that came in through alert before i went to sleep....


	6. You Have To Pick One

A/N: as promised, here's the next chapter....and again...THANK YOU for all the reviews...i had more than fifteen emails waiting for me in my inbox this morning...granted i almost re-ended another car in the dunkin donuts drive through cause i was reading them on my drive into work....but i didn't, so its okay!! ...i apologize for the lack of damon in the last chapter...hopefully i've made up for that in this one....let me know what you guys think!!

-Fenris

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Elena woke up and looked at the clock on Stefan's bedside table. _2am. Why am I awake?_ Laying there, Elena did the one thing she didn't want to do. The one thing she didn't want to know the answer; because she didn't know how she would react if she got the answer she didn't want. Even though she didn't want to do it, she did it anyway. She listened, hoping it would start any second. _Another minute_. She glanced at the clock and watched as the minutes ticked by and still the room was silent. _He doesn't purr_.

As the thought went through her head, her eyes darted to the door as she thought she saw a shadow fly by the room. Turning and looking at Stefan, she decided to investigate; even though she was pretty sure she knew what the shadow was. Or more correctly, who.

Gently extracting herself from Stefan's arms, she walked out into the hall and she saw what she thought she'd see. Damon. "You're awake. I thought for sure you'd be sleeping."

Damon luckily had seen her coming so he didn't jump in surprise like he had earlier in the shower. Instead, he puffed out his naked stomach and looked at Elena with a smirk on his face, "Blood. It does a body good." The corners of his mouth lifted as he twitched his eyebrow. "Shouldn't you be sleeping in someone's arms right now?"

Elena looked back toward Stefan. He hadn't moved since she left the bed. "I woke up and saw something moving in the hall."

"Yea, and curiosity killed the cat."

"Last time I checked, I'm not the one who purrs."

Grinning, he continued with their playful banter, "You know you love it."

Elena sighed and rolled her eyes. "I don't think I've ever met someone as narcissistic and self serving as you."

Damon raised his eyebrows in surprise and pointed a finger at his chest. "Me? Self serving?Didn't I help a distraught and fear-filled teenager escape a tomb earlier today? Or was that some other totally hot and half naked vampire?"

Elena shook her head. There was no one else she knew that could in the same sentence both prove and disprove a statement like that. "I'm sure there's a way that saving me helps you. I just haven't figured that out yet."

_Maybe it just doesn't._ Damon disregarded her comment with a shake of his own head. "I was gonna make a fire in the den. Care to join me?" Thinking about it, Elena turned around again and looked back at Stefan. "Unless you need to head back to the puppy dog." Even though he didn't say it, Elena knew he was making a purring jab about Stefan.

Elena wasn't sure why, but she wanted to go downstairs with Damon. She found herself enjoying his company. He knew when to get serious, like escaping the tomb, but also knew how to have fun; and she missed that. It was hard to have fun with Stefan; no matter how hard they tried, it just didn't happen. "Sounds like fun."

Damon was surprised she agreed, but outstretched his elbow to her. Elena smirked at him, but linked her arm in his and walked down the hall to the staircase with him.

Leading them into the den, Damon quickly released Elena so he could get the fire going. Making quick work of stacking the logs just the right way and throwing some kindling below, he lit the fire in three different spots and watched as the flames immediately started licking around the dry logs.

Pulling his cheeks taught as he turned around, he grabbed a blanket off the back of the couch Elena was sitting on and draped it over her legs. "Just til the fire gets going." Walking over to the dry bar, he pulled out the bottle of Walker Blue and a glass. Disappearing into the kitchen he returned just seconds later with a full glass of Muscato Elmo Pio and the quart of milk from the fridge.

Handing Elena the glass, he started to walk back to the dry bar, when Elena questioned him. "What's the milk for?"

Without looking at her, he responded, "Just because I'm a vampire doesn't mean I can't get hungover." As if that was a full explanation, he poured a bit of the milk into the glass then filled it the rest of the way with the scotch. He turned around to face Elena, but didn't walk toward the couch or any other seat in the room. "You hungry?" He reiterated his question from earlier in the evening.

"No."

"You sure? I've been told I'm an exceptional cook."

"Positive. You hungry?"

"Is that an offer?" Damon tossed her a sultry look.

"No! I was just making sure I'm safe from you fangs."

Damon walked over and sat down on the couch across the coffee table from Elena. "It's okay, Elena. You can admit that you secretly love the feel of my fangs." His finished by leaning in and speaking in a soft whisper, "Stefan's still asleep. He can't hear you."

Elena reached forward and swiped at his face, connecting just slightly with her fingertips.

Not expecting the flesh-to-flesh contact, Damon's face momentarily showed his shock. He quickly recovered, but hoped that Elena hadn't seen the emotion he'd let show. In order to cover up his tracks further, he completely changed the subject, "Well, seeing as I'm stuck with your company, what do you wanna talk about?"

"Stuck with my company? You invited me down here."

"Only because I knew you'd go running back to Stefan's bed. I didn't actually expect you to join me."

Elena sat up on the couch and threw the blanket Damon had put on her to the side. "Fine. Then I'll go back to _Stefan's_ bed." She set her glass down on the coffee table as she stood up.

Realizing he was being an idiot and the last thing he really wanted was for Elena to go back to Stefan's bed, he stood up and grabbed her arm. "I was kidding." Elena didn't make a move to return to the couch. "Stay." She lifted her eyebrow at him, seeing just how far she could push him. "If you think I'm gonna beg, go back to bed." Damon let her go and picked up the blanket she'd pushed off her legs.

He turned his back to her and spread the blanket out on the floor in front of the fire before turning around to grab pillows off the couches. He was surprised to see Elena standing there with the pillows in her hands. _Interesting._ He took the pillows and nodded to their drinks sitting on the coffee table. Tossing the pillows onto the blanket, he'd setup a nice little camp in front of the fire. Motioning for Elena to pick her spot first, he held her glass while she sat down on the blanket.

The two sat in front of the fire in silence for awhile, not sure exactly what to talk about, but not feeling uncomfortable in the silence either. Finally Damon turned to Elena, took a sip of his drink and asked a question, "You have to pick."

"Pick?"

"You can only have one." Elena didn't understand him, and was hoping he wasn't asking her to pick between himself and Stefan. Surely he would know the answer to that question. Surely, _she_ would know the answer to that question. Damon rolled his eyes, knowing exactly what she was thinking. "If you could only listen to one song in your car for the rest of your life, what would it be?"

Elena stared at him for a moment, trying to decide if he really wanted an answer, or if he was covering up the fact that he wanted an answer to the question he hadn't asked. Deciding, he was serious, and if not, she didn't want to go down that other road, "_Roots Radicals Rockers and Reggae_."

"You've got the be kidding me."

"What? It's a great song."

"I can't believe you even know who the Stiff Little Fingers are." Damon mocked.

"What did you think I was gonna say?"

"I don't dunno. Lady Gaga or something like that."

Elena rolled her eyes. There was a lot they didn't know about each other. A lot they needed to learn about each other. "What's your pick?"

"_Runnin' Down a Dream_."

"Very fitting for the guy who's search for his love for over a hundred years." Elena immediately wanted to retract it. She watched his face cringe slightly and his whole body clenched at the mention of Katherine. Elena didn't know what to say to take them back. Then an idea popped into her head. "You have to pick." Damon lifted an eyebrow at her. "You can only have one."

Immediately noticing her peace offering, he smirked, "What?"

"You're stuck on a deserted island--"

"You."

"Huh?" Elena asked at his interruption. He hadn't even heard her question yet.

Damon rolled his eyes, "Go on."

"What book would you want with you?"

He'd assumed she was going to ask who he'd like for company; but he'd assumed wrong.

"Assuming that you read, of course." Elena added with a smirk.

While he deliberated on his answer, Damon checked the fire. Without giving his answer, he walked around the room to one of the large built in bookshelves. Quickly fingering the spine of the first edition book, he pulled it from its spot and walked back over to Elena. Sitting back down on the blanket next to Elena, he handed her the book.

Elena looked at the book and then at Damon quizzically. He just shrugged. "_Pride and Prejudice_?"

Shrugging again, "It was my mother's favorite. I've kept it all this time. I wouldn't want to lose it just because I'm stuck on some island. What's your pick?"

Elena sat shocked at his admission. Damon really did have a soft side. If he'd kept a book all these years just because it was his mother's favorite, what other secrets did he hold? "I don't know. I haven't really had the time to read much lately."

"That's not an answer."

Thinking to all the books she'd read in her short lifetime, she said the first book that came to her mind, "_Where the Red Fern Grows_."

"Rawls was an idiot, but the concept was good." Damon admitted.

"You knew the author?"

"Having eternity to live, you get around a bit."

"Where else have you been?" He'd piqued her curiosity.

"I haven't been to Antartica." Elena scowled at him at first, but realized that it must have been easier for him to say where he hadn't been than all the places he had been.

"Pick one."

Damon rolled his eyes. He couldn't believe she was using this as her question. "Home."

"Mystic Falls? Of all the places in the world, you pick Mystic Falls?"

"I didn't say that." Instead of explaining himself, because he really didn't want to, he did what he does best. Avoided the question completely. "Movie?"

Elena glared at him. Just when she thought she was getting a chance to see a little deeper into Damon, thought that he was opening up to her, he completely closed the subject. "That's not fair."

"I answered your question. Now it's your turn."

"That's not fair." She shoved his shoulder because he didn't get that she was actually going along with his subject change. "I can't pick just one movie. It's humanly impossible. There are too many that I love."

Damon stood up and grabbed her glass. Leaving the den, he refilled her drink in the kitchen and then refilled his own at the dry bar before walking back over to their camp site. Handing her the glass, he sat down next to her and waited, but she never asked another question.

Instead, she let them sit there in the glow of the fire with absolutely no noise except for the regular intake and release of breath coming from Elena. Damon didn't turn as she repositioned herself into more of a laying position on the floor. He let her rest a few minutes before he slouched himself down next to her with his head resting on a pillow.

Tucking a hand behind his head, he rested his left hand on his stomach, crossed his ankles and stared into the fire. It wasn't long before he could tell that Elena had drifted asleep; and it wasn't long after that when he felt her body moving again. With a smile on his face, he moved his left hand so he could stretch his arm out. Elena, as if they were back in the tomb, used it as a pillow and snuggled her body into his side.

Turning his head so he could look at her, he pulled his right hand from behind his head and brushed the side of her cheek. "Elena." He whispered. "Hey." His voice still soft. "Come on. Let's get you back to Stefan's safe arms." Damon shifted so he could lift her into his arms.

Easily picking her up, he wanted to smile when she wrapped her arms around his neck, but forced himself not to. She was Stefan's girlfriend. "But he doesn't purr like you."

Had her mouth not be as close to his ear as it was, he might not have heard the sleep-filled comment, and he couldn't stop the smile from forming on his lips this time. Forcing himself to make an audible response to hear what she'd say, he replied, "Stefan's fangs are duller. I'm sure that's more comforting than a purr." He started for the steps, and was slightly disappointed that she didn't respond.

Making up the steps, he walked to his brother's room and deposited Elena in his bed. Hesitating slightly, he turned and left the room to return to the den. Quickly cleaning up their campsite and dousing the fire, he offed his Walker then headed back up the stairs to his own bedroom.

Climbing into his bed, he stared at the ceiling trying to force himself to go to sleep; but his mind kept going in circles and he was arguing with himself. He wanted to go to his brother's room and bring Elena back to his own room, but knew he couldn't. She was Stefan's. There was no getting around that. Normally, he'd just take what he wanted; and if it screwed his brother, even better. But he couldn't do that. Not with Elena. So he laid there, trying to fall asleep when his body was exhausted but his mind was in overdrive.

Rolling to his side and closing his eyes, it took some time but he was able to fall asleep.

If only he'd kept himself awake for another ten minutes, he would have been very surprised to find Elena standing in his bedroom. If only he'd kept himself awake for another ten minutes, he would have felt her climbing into his bed and resuming her position snuggled into his side.

Elena smiled as she drifted back to sleep listening to Damon's purring chest.


	7. Hide The Body

A/N: this wasn't going to be posted tonight but the outcry for more motivated me to write....i hope you guys enjoy...and don't be afraid to bombard me with reviews like you did on the last chapter (you've all set a personal record for me...i LOVE it!!!!)....and i promise not to cause an accident and wait til i get to work to read the reviews instead of while i'm driving to work....

-Fenris

* * *

Damon woke before Elena or Stefan. He was used to getting up early in the morning as he used the quiet house to meditate and do his morning yoga routine. So he was more than pleasantly surprised to wake up and find Elena sleeping the his bed next to him. She'd curled herself into his side. He made a mental note that she was certainly making a habit of this.

Momentarily relishing in the fact that Elena was finding more comfort in his bed than his brother's, Damon just stared at her sleeping form. He loved the peacefulness that seemed to resonate off her when she was asleep. Brushing his hand across her cheek, he spoke softly, thinking himself to be thinking and not speaking, "What am I gonna do with you?"

Deciding that it would be bad if Stefan woke up and Elena wasn't in his bed, Damon adjusted so he could pull himself out of bed and grab her up in his arms. Still shirtless, he liked the feel of her flesh against his. She was only wearing a pair of shortie shorts and a camisole tank. Quickly carrying her down the hall, he started into his brother's room only to find that Stefan wasn't in bed anymore. "Shit."

Listening carefully, he could hear the water running in the shower. "Okay. Think Damon. Think." His head darted around the room, trying to come up with a plan. Of all days, Stefan had to pick that one to wake up early. Realizing he couldn't just drop Elena in the bed and not have to suffer the consequences of his brother's incessant whining and brooding, a plan suddenly formed in his head.

Running from the room and down the stairs, he cradled Elena in one arm while he tossed the blanket back on the floor by the fire. It was quickly followed by a mass of pillows. Hearing the water shut off in the shower, Damon knew he was running out of time before Stefan came trudging down the steps.

Gently setting Elena down on the blanket, he grabbed another off one of the couches and positioned it over Elena's body so that it covered her up to the waist. "At least that's where my blanket was when I got up this morning." Having only experienced sleeping with Elena in the tomb, he wasn't sure of her regular sleeping routines and how she preferred her blankets. Hopefully Stefan would see through the charade.

Knowing Stefan would find it unreal if Elena were just sleeping on the floor in the den by herself, Damon slid onto the make shift bed next to her. Stretching both hands above his head, he tucked them under his head just as he heard Stefan coming down the steps.

As Damon waited for Stefan to come into the den and start one of his temper tantrums, Elena rolled into his side and put her hand on his chest. For the first time in his life, he heard the noise the Elena had been talking about for the last couple days escape from his chest. A purr. _Really? I just purred?_ Damon had truly thought she'd made the whole thing up since he'd been teasing her about the moaning and waggling of her ass.

Sensing that his brother was getting closer to walking into the den, he pushed Elena's hand from his chest and rolled on his side so his back was facing her.

Stefan walked into the den and saw the campsite in front of the fire. Scowling and glaring in his brother's direction he made his way over to Elena's still sleeping body. "Hey. Elena? How long have you been down here?"

"She invaded somewhere between two and three." Damon answered, turning to face his younger brother.

Stefan continued to glare at Damon. "I thought you were sleeping."

"It's hard to sleep when you come clomping down the steps. You know, you could be a little quieter for those of us with sensitive hearing."

"You're right, Damon. I could be quieter. But really, I just don't care." Stefan turned his attention back to Elena and waking her up.

Damon contemplated leaving the den and letting Elena take the fall, but he knew she'd be at least a little disoriented waking up in the den and not in his bed – the last place she'd gone before going to sleep. While Damon thought, Stefan was successful in waking up Elena, and as Damon had guessed she was slightly confused. Darting a glance at Damon while Stefan was picking up the blankets and pillows, she questioned him with her eyes. Damon just quirked an eyebrow and shrugged his shoulders.

After cleaning up the campsite, Stefan looked at Elena, whom taken a seat on the couch. "You must be hungry. Come on, we'll be able to find something for you in the kitchen." Stefan turned to allow Elena to lead the way into the kitchen.

Damon faked a move toward the steps as they walked toward the kitchen. Once they were safely behind the door, Damon returned to the den in order to eavesdrop. He hadn't gotten the opportunity to talk with Elena since Stefan decided to hover. He needed to make sure he heard what her side of the story was so their events didn't cross when Stefan inevitably questioned him.

Not that he cared what Stefan felt or thought. He never did, but he didn't want Elena to get hurt. Not over something as trivial as where she slept.

Stefan quickly grabbed the cereal and milk and placed it on the counter. He remained silent as he poured a bowl for Elena and sat it next to her with a spoon. "Thanks." Elena said, taking the offered bowl and quickly shoving a few spoonfuls into her mouth.

"Elena, is something going on between you and Damon?" Stefan was never gentle when it came to the subject of his brother, and he needed to know the answer.

"No." Elena nearly choked on the mouthful of cereal, but quickly got her response out. "Why would you think that?"

"You've been acting different since--"

"Since I got out of that tomb?" Elena immediately went on the defense. "Stefan, you have _no_ idea what happened in there. What it felt like to think that I'd never get out. And you." She poked him in the chest. "You never came back until the day Damon got us out. You didn't even come back to check and see if we'd gotten out."

"Elena, I didn't think you'd be able to get out, besides there was--"

"Stefan, you don't know what happened. What we had to do. What I had to do in order to stay alive." She couldn't bring herself to say the words that she'd drank Damon's blood. "So maybe I am a little different, but really, shouldn't it be expected." Elena put the bowl down on the counter, suddenly no longer hungry.

"Elena, I didn't know." Stefan tried to apologize.

Damon smirked while he listened to the conversation going on in the kitchen. He was certainly rubbing off on the girl, and in the best way possible. She's was irritating his brother, and nothing brought him more joy than that.

"I'm sorry I thought something was going on. It's just after yesterday with you calling me Damon in your sleep, then rushing into the shower with him and this morning I find the two of you sleeping together in the den."

"I called you Damon because you were tickling my foot, and I rushed to the shower because I called dibs and he didn't listen. As for finding us sleeping on the same blanket in the den, I woke up early this morning and couldn't get back to sleep. Damon was awake so I came down and joined him. Apparently I was more tired than I thought and fell asleep down here while we sat by the fire." Elena didn't want to have to explain herself, but she knew Stefan wouldn't let it drop unless she did. That was one of the major differences between Stefan and Damon; and one of the things she preferred about Damon. He would have just shrugged it off. Well, either that, or he would have killed the guy she was sleeping on the floor with. Either way, he wouldn't have berated her with questions. Elena smiled at that thought, and that the fact that she would have probably accepted either outcome if she were with Damon. But she wasn't.

Turning her attention back to the vampire in front of her, "I'm gonna go take a shower. Is that okay with you?" Elena wasn't going to wait for an answer, but she received one before she was able to get out of the kitchen.

"I need to head over and check on Bonnie. Once you're dressed call me. I'll come back and we can head back over to Bonnie's together. There's something I need to tell you, but it can wait for right now." Stefan didn't want to spill the beans after they'd just had a disagreement. He didn't want to call it an argument.

Damon watched Elena emerge alone from the kitchen. He could almost see the fumes coming off her body. Barely quirking the side of his mouth, he moved so she had to walk past him to get to the steps. As she brushed passed him, he smacked her on the ass. "I'll go cool him off."

Elena turned ready to smack him back, but was caught off guard by the fact that Damon was willingly walking into the frying pan. _Why would he do that? _

Damon walked into the kitchen while Elena ascended the chairs. "Trouble on lovers' lane?"

"Not in the mood, Damon." Stefan growled back.

"Oh get off it. What's the big deal? So we fell asleep in the den."

Stefan resumed his glaring at Damon. "Really? You fell asleep in the den?"

Damon rolled his eyes. "Is there an echo in here? You should look into that."

Stefan moved in front of Damon, grabbing his throat and pushing his older brother against the wall. "I appreciate that you kept Elena alive while in that tomb. Even if it meant feeding her your blood. But I will not let you distort her like you've distorted everything else in your life." Stefan released Damon and headed for the back door. Just before he walked out, he turned around and looked Damon in the eyes. "You doused the fire, Damon. How could you just fall asleep by the fire if you doused it?"


	8. Visitors

A/N: well this is out a little sooner than planned, but since i was able to shirk my family duties and spend a quiet night with the pooches and a few glasses of walker blue, you guys have yourselves a new chapter.....and since i also have a few hours set aside for writing tomorrow, you'll probably be getting another update tomorrow too....aren't i nice?? thank you again to all the great reviewers out there.....i've been trying to keep up and get back to as many of you as i can....but i know i miss a few here and there....on with the story....

-Fen

* * *

Elena showered as quickly as she could and dressed in the pair of jeans and black baby doll tee she kept at the boarding house for emergencies. Slipping on the black boots she'd been wearing the night they went to the tomb, she stood and exited Stefan's room; walking down the hall to the next familiar bedroom, she knocked on the door and waited for a response. When there was none, she peeped her head in the door.

Before words could exit her mouth, she stared into the room not sure how to take the sight before her.

Damon was in the middle of the room in a standing forward bend; his hands grasping his ankles with his face touching the front of his calves. Elena stared, both in shock and awe. After a few moments, she watched him straighten his body with his hands reaching toward the sky, only to twist and quickly fall into a head stand with his forearms resting on the floor around his face and his feet straight up in the air. If nothing else, Elena found herself admiring his grace.

Elena didn't want to intrude, and therefore refused to say anything until it looked like he was finished. It didn't take long as after about two minutes of Damon's feet held straight up in the air, he brought them down in order to assume a sitting position on the floor. Holding his hands out to his sides, he held them palm up before shaking his body and standing up.

"Damon?"

As if he hadn't noticed her presence, he whipped around, hiding his initial surprise at Elena standing in his bedroom. "And what else can I do for you today?" Damon grabbed the button down shirt that was laying on his bed and quickly fed his arms through the holes.

"I was hoping you could give me a ride to Bonnie's."

"I thought your boyfriend wanted to take you." Damon still hadn't made eye contact with her.

"I'm not too keen on seeing him right now." Elena was careful not to mention Stefan's name. "So I thought you could give me a ride."

For the first time since Elena came into his room after her shower, Damon looked at her; almost through her. In barely a breath, he was standing in front of her, watching her eyes. "I play the game. I'm not a pawn to be played in the game." Elena could hear the venom in his voice, and just as quickly as he was there, he was gone. Completely. Not even a lingering feeling that he had been there just moments before.

"What the hell's his problem?" Elena walked out of the room and pulled out her phone. She contemplated calling him, but she really didn't want to talk to him, so she just texted him letting him know she was ready.

Elena decided to wait in the den for Stefan to return. She wasn't waiting long when she heard the front door open. Standing up, she tried to brush past Stefan in order to get to his car and to Bonnie's as quickly as she could. At least at Bonnie's, she'd be able to avoid Stefan.

Stefan stopped her escape by grabbing her arm. "We need to talk before we leave."

"I'm not in the mood to talk to you right now, Stefan."

Catching on to the fact that she assumed he wanted to talk about their argument that morning, Stefan held his grip on her arm. "Not about what you think." This caught Elena's attention, and she motioned for him to continue. "It's about Bonnie. More precisely, her grandmother."

Stefan explained how opening and keeping the tomb open had drained all the energy from Bonnie's grandmother, and upon going home and laying down to rest, she had peacefully passed into an endless slumber. Tears sprouted from Elena's eyes as she listened to Stefan. Once he was finished, Elena, without saying a word, walked out of the den and to Stefan's car. Taking her seat on the passenger side, she waited for him to drive.

Elena spent the rest of the day at Bonnie's. She apologized for not being there but Bonnie brushed it off, knowing Elena hadn't not been there on purpose. She was stuck in the tomb with Damon afterall.

Comforting her best friend as best she could, Elena pushed all her thoughts of Stefan, Damon and the intricate triangle the three of them formed out of her mind. She focused on Bonnie and what she could do to help her. Stefan lingered around for a short time at Bonnie's before leaving to return to the boarding house. He was hoping to catch Damon; and he was successful.

"We need to talk." Stefan heard the words come out of his mouth for the second time that day.

"No we don't." Damon ignored his brother and left the den to get away. There was nothing he had to say to Stefan and nothing that Stefan could pry out of him.

Stefan moved faster than Damon could and blocked his retreat to the second level. "I wasn't giving you a choice."

"You're not really gonna try this are you? You know I'm stronger."

"Maybe, but we still need to talk." Stefan didn't move from Damon's path.

Damon grabbed Stefan's shoulder, and leaned in close to his ear ready to drop a pearl of wisdom. With a smirk and a thought of just how trusting his brother really was, Damon squeezed Stefan's shoulder and used his grip to toss Stefan across the room. "Great talk. I feel much better now." Damon ascended the steps and immediately went to his bedroom.

He was barely in the room a few seconds when Stefan opened the door. "Oh, I wouldn't try that." Damon shifted his eyebrow with the statement and tossed a glass bottle at his brother.

Stefan quickly caught the bottle and raised it to his nose. Twisting his face in disgust, he looked down at the wet floor and to his bare feet. _Vervain. Why did I take my shoes off waiting for him? _

"Pity. I was really looking forward to that talk you wanted to have." Damon turned and flopped down on his bed. "Close the door on your way out."

"Just because I can't come into your room doesn't mean I'm going to leave you alone."

Damon stretched his arms up above his head then lifted his head so he could look at his brother. "Have fun with that. I'm taking a nap." Damon shoved the pillow under his head and closed his eyes.

The next thing Damon felt was the weight of his brother on his chest. Stefan had Damon's arms pinned to the bed with his knees. "Funny thing." Stefan said with a smirk of his own on his face. "Your forgot to put vervain on the door frame."

"When the hell did you become an acrobat?" Even in the submissive position he was currently forced into, Damon could still crack a joke.

"Where was I?" Stefan ignored his brother's rhetorical question. "Oh, yeah, what's going on between you and Elena?"

"Nothing." Damon scowled at the fowl taste that emerged in his throat.

"You're lying. Tell me what happened in that tomb."

Damon smiled at his brother. Oh how he loved to torture Stefan. "Why should I? Do you really think you can hold me here forever? Again you forget that human blood is stronger than that animal crap you've decided to live on. Even though it's been almost two days since I last fed, I can go longer without blood that you'll be able to."

"You wanna test that theory?"

Without responding, Damon just closed his eyes and tried to take his nap. "Can you shift to the side a little? You're pinching my side and it's quite uncomfortable." Damon could have easily tossed his brother off of him, but it was much more enjoyable to see him suffer from not getting the answers he so desperately wanted.

"What are you doing?" Stefan asked.

"Napping." Damon replied, still not opening his eyes. Stefan looked at his brother strangely. It'd certainly felt like Damon was trying to shimmy his way out from under Stefan. "Actually, it'd be great if you could just shift to the side a little. I think my phone's ringing." Stefan glared at Damon. "Fine, I'll just check my voicemail when you're done then."

Stefan felt the soft vibration again. Whoever was trying to get a hold of him was being persistent. Stefan did shift his weight, but not so Damon could reach his phone. Stefan pulled the phone from Damon's pocket and flicked through the menus in order to look at the message he'd received. Stefan looked back and forth between Damon and the phone a few times before tossing the phone at his brother and releasing him. Storming toward the door, Stefan leapt and grabbed the door frame as he swung over the vervain infused water on the floor.

Damon watched his brother in shock before picking up his phone and looking at what caused his brother's reaction. He saw that the missed call was from Elena, but that wasn't what caused his brother to fly off his rocker. It was the simple one word text message that she'd sent immediately after the missed call. _Sorry._

The left corner of Damon's mouth lifted as his fingers went to work replying to her message. _For what?_

He waited a few seconds for the response, but his phone vibrated once again and he looked at it. _Earlier. _

So she finally realized what had pissed him off. Damon dropped his phone on the dresser as he left his room for the den. He needed a drink. He was more than happy to see that Stefan had apparently left the house. Pouring a drink and taking a quick sip, he heard a knock on the door.

A smile appeared on his face once again as he realized who would be on the other side of said door. Walking over , he opened the door only for his smile to disappear. "What do you want?" Anna looked to her mother as Pearl walked into view. "Hey, how are ya? Adjusting to life outside the tomb nicely? Great. Good seein' ya." Damon moved to swing the door shut in their faces, but Pearl's hand was faster as she stopped the door from closing.

"I appreciate you helping my daughter get me out of the tomb."

"Yea, well, you weren't exactly my highest priority."

"I know I wasn't, and that's why I'm here."

Damon stood there looking at Pearl, wondering if she would ever finish her train of thought, but then he realized that there was no need for her to finish as he watched another vampire appear in the doorway in front of him. "Katherine."


	9. Intermission

A/N: i know this one is short, but i'm still writing and have at least another two hours before i'm invaded....so i'm hoping to get another chapter out yet today...

-Fen

* * *

Stefan returned to the boarding house after a few hours of thinking about what was going on. Elena wasn't talking to him and neither was Damon. How was he ever going to get the information he so wanted to have. It was more than obvious that something had happened in that tomb between the two of them. At first he chalked it up to Damon having saved Elena's life both by letting her drink his blood and then later by getting them out of the tomb itself; but there was something else he just couldn't make out.

Elena had left his bed to join Damon. They both lied about falling asleep in the den. _I need to relax and stop dwelling on this. Things will go back to normal. It's only been a couple days, of course thing aren't going to go bad at the snap of a finger._ So deciding to let things take a more natural flow, Stefan ran up the stairs to check in on Damon, but was unpleasantly surprised to find that Damon's bedroom was empty.

Stefan walked around the room, hoping to find a clue as to where Damon had gone. _Wait._ Stefan doubled back to the table in the corner of Damon's room. _Something's missing_. Like Stefan, Damon had certain items that he never left without. Stefan began searching the table and all the bowls, jars and dishes that sat on it. Damon was a collector. He always had been. He saved something from every where he'd ever been in order to keep his memories together. He never forgot a place he'd been to. How could he when he kept uncountable souvenirs? Most of the time, he left them at the boarding house, since every couple of years he always returned to there.

But there was one set of collectibles that he never left without. The first he'd ever collected. It was a tiny leather satchel that held three splinters of wood, a round lead ball, and nine hammered nails. The only things he had left of his mortal life, or at least the end of his mortal life. The lead bullet that was used to kill him, the nails that secured the lid to his coffin and the shards of wood that made the coffin and had become lodged in his hands as he clawed his way out of his grave.

Stefan searched, but he was never able to find it. If it was gone, it meant only one thing. Damon was gone too. _Maybe for good this time._ Stefan couldn't help but think that maybe his brother had finally decided to leave him alone and leave Mystic Falls for good.

Stefan turned when he heard the front door open downstairs. Moments later, he heard footfalls coming up the stairs. Leaving his brother's room, he met Elena at the top of the stairs. Elena looked between Stefan and the open door to Damon's bedroom. "He's gone." Elena scrunched her face. "I don't know where he's gone or if he'll be back." He continued as if able to read Elena's mind.

"Then how do you know he's gone?"

"Trust me. I know when Damon's gone." Stefan replied, before walking past her to the descend the stairs.

"Why? After all this time?" Damon was sitting in the living room of the home that Pearl had come to occupy.

"Because you opened the tomb." Damon couldn't believe his ears. The only reason she'd come back was because he'd been successful in opening the tomb? Katherine smiled. "Don't take it like that. Had I known that we would have been able to curb our enthusiasm for each other when the time came, I would have come back sooner. But I knew different. If I had come back sooner, we would have forgotten all about opening the tomb." Katherine looked at Pearl. "How could I have lived for eternity without my best friend?"

"We could have opened the tomb together. There was no need for us to be apart all these years."

Katherine returned her gaze to Damon. "We would have forgotten about the tomb decades ago. Damon, we will have eternity together now. Starting with Mystic Falls, we will be together forever."

Damon quirked his eyebrow. "Starting with Mystic Falls?"

"You didn't really think we were going to let all those families get away with what they did, did you? We will _all_ have our revenge."

An evil smile grew across Damon's face. "_All_ of us?" Katherine looked at him suspiciously, but nodded her head. "Then I get to avenge myself?"

Katherine knew all too well what exactly he meant by that. "As much as I would love for you to be able to avenge yourself, I can't condone you killing your brother. He is of my blood as well." She watched Damon's features fade. "I'm sure your devious mind can come up with a different way to attack your brother." The smile returned to Damon's face as an idea hatched in his head. "I see you already have plans."

Damon turned back and looked at Katherine, but oddly enough he didn't see Katherine. He had to force his mind to remember that it was not Elena sitting before him, but her doppelganger, Katherine. He cursed at himself. When had he allowed himself to feel for Elena? When had he allowed himself to love Elena? He was in love with Katherine. Had been for over one hundred years. When had all that changed? Surely he wasn't in love with Elena, but that didn't mean he couldn't love her. Or her witty banter. Or the way she tortured his soul by constantly disagreeing with him. Or how her body fit perfectly against his own when she snuggled into his side, deep asleep.

"I've had a long day. Where's my room?" Damon asked suddenly, breaking into the conversation that Katherine and Pearl had started while he pondered his feelings, and why he _was_ feeling.

Pearl looked at Anna, whose rose and motioned for Damon to follow her. Damon stood and followed the older vampire. She showed him to a room that had already been claimed by Katherine. Damon noticed her personal touches on the room immediately. It had been a long time since he had shared a room with her, but that didn't mean he forgot her.

Flopping his tired body down on the bed, he waited for Anna to leave the room before pulling the leather satchel out of his inner pocket of his jacket. Placing on the table next to his side of the bed, he shed his jacket, shirt and boots before laying back down on the bed and quickly falling asleep.

It some time later when he woke. Immediately feeling a sleeping body curled into his, he looked down and saw a familiar set of brown locks splayed across his arm. A soft smile spread across his face at the sight. As the body snuggled closer against his frame, he noticed something missing. Something lacking. He didn't hear the low rumble that was supposed to emit from deep in his chest. That's when he realized it wasn't Elena sleeping next to him.


	10. Reflections

A/N: as promised, here's the next chapter...just don't get used to the rapid fire updates....i had some extra time today, but have a full docket tomorrow....things are picking up quickly and i feel there are only a few chapters left....so i hope you guys have enjoyed the ride so far....let me know what you think of this chapter by leaving a review.....they DO make me write faster...

-Fen

* * *

Damon wrestled to fall back asleep after realizing Katherine was sleeping with him. _What the hell did that pesky little girl do to me? I feel neutered!_

Since he couldn't fall asleep, he decided to do something productive with his time. Moving out of the bed, he grabbed his shirt and boots, and left the room. After dressing in the living room, he grabbed his phone and exited through the front door. Slipping into a leisurely pace, well at least for a vampire, he moved through the woods he grew up hunting through. The only difference was this time he wasn't hunting. At least not yet.

He was trying to lose himself in the trees. But his body refused to blow away in the heavy breeze. His mind continued to spin as very unDamon like thoughts weaved their webs. Damon finally found himself standing in the last place he would have gone to had he actually been paying any kinds of attention to where he was going.

Searching the ground, he quickly found the small hole in the ground that just a few days before he'd been happy to escape through. It didn't take long, and he quickly slid through the opening back into the tomb where everything started. He blamed the tomb for everything that ever happened to him.

If it hadn't been for the tomb, he never would have come back to Mystic Falls to rescue Katherine. He wouldn't have gotten stuck with Elena. The most disturbing thing that happened because of that tomb? Damon second guessed himself as the thought went through him. The most disturbing thing was realizing that he was going to have to choose between Katherine and Elena, and for once in his long undead life, he didn't know what the answer was. A few short days ago, the answer would have been obvious, but not now.

As much as she irritated him, he still enjoyed her company. He enjoyed just having her around even if they weren't talking or playing a game of twenty questions. Even if they were sitting on opposite sides of the room, as long as she was in the room.

Damon wandered around the tomb, looking for an easy out. A way to put things back the way they were before, but he had no luck. There was no putting things back to the way they were. Damon knew that, but he also knew that things might not play out the way he wanted them to. Especially with Katherine's return. Knowing just how he was going to exact his revenge on Stefan, Damon climbed out of the tomb.

Circling around the tomb one final time, he was ready to leave until he got a familiar scent in his nose. Quickly hiding himself so he could observe, he waited.

Elena stood at the opening of the tomb, staring at the door. If only she hadn't let go of Stefan's hand, things would be different right now. _Yea, Damon would still be locked inside. _Elena answered her own question, knowing that Stefan would never have helped her get Damon out. She walked around the area surrounding the crypt and yelped when her foot went through the hole that she and Damon had climbed out.

Elena shifted to try and get herself out of the hole, but she twisted when she went down and couldn't get a grasp on the ground to hoist herself out.

"Are you perpetually the damsel in distress?" Elena heard the voice as she felt the body it belonged to lifting her out of the ground.

"Damon." Elena spun around to stare him down. "Stefan said you left."

Damon smirked. "Not likely. I promised him a lifetime of misery."

Elena shook her head. It was just like the Salvatore brothers. "Are you coming back? To the boarding house?"

Damon shook his head. "I've found new residence, where the other occupants aren't trying to kill me or squeeze information out of me."

Damon turned to walk away, but Elena followed him, quickly falling into step with him. He found it unnerving. "Not everyone at the boarding house is trying to kill you or get information from you."

"Yea, but you're not a resident; just a regular visitor."

"No one ever asked me to be a resident."

Damon turned with a shocked expression. Had she just insinuated that she would like to be a permanent resident of the boarding house? "It's not my department to offer; you know, since I'm no longer a resident myself."

Elena let the conversation drop for a moment, before asking, "So where are you staying?"

"Now, if I told you, it wouldn't be a secret anymore. I can't have you running back and telling the boyfriend where I'm at. He might get too curious for his own good."

"Will you tell me why you left?"

Damon certainly wasn't going to tell her that Katherine was back. She wouldn't be able to keep that information from Stefan, and Damon wasn't ready to let the past repeat itself. For once, he had Katherine all to himself. _Then why am I here with Elena? _"Some old friends came to town. I'm catching up."

"Vampires?"

"What other friend would I have?" Damon asked, quirking his brow.

Elena wanted to ask if he would at least come back and visit, but she didn't want to seem too needy. Besides that, she was afraid of his answer.

Elena noticed that they'd made their way back to the boarding house, so she turned to look at Damon. "Maybe I'll see you around?"

"It is a small town." Then he was gone.

Elena walked into the boarding house to find Stefan sitting in the den. "I just received some disturbing news." he said without even looking at her.

"Okay. Do I want to know?" She asked, sitting down on the other end of the couch.

"Before that, we need to discuss _us_." Stefan turned and looked at her. "Don't jump to your defenses, Elena. I just want to know if you are still with me, or if you're not. It's not fair to either one of us if you're not. I'm still here, but since...well...you haven't been the same. I just want to know if you're still here with me."

Elena thought about the question. She didn't really know the answer herself. She knew she still loved Stefan, but she didn't know if she was in love with him. Damon had shown her a side of himself that she'd never had the opportunity to see before, and she liked it. He still had a personality that could be switched on and off at the slightest discrepancy, but she experienced something with Damon that she hadn't experienced with Stefan since the early stages of the courting.

Fun.

She could remember when she and Stefan had fun. It was in the beginning of their relationship, when everything was carefree; but ever since then, they just weren't able to get that fun back. Stefan was far too serious. He was always afraid for her, never allowing her to be alone. He didn't want anything to happen to her, and that was admirable but at the same time it was inevitable that something would happen to her. It had. Even though Stefan had taken every precaution, she still got stuck in that tomb. Stefan seemed to want to keep her sheltered and all to himself. He wanted to protect her from everyone, from the world, and from herself. And that just wasn't possible.

With Damon, she could have fun. He could let go of all the troubles surrounding him; as seen by the impromptu detour they'd taken to Georgia. Sure he was a killer, and she wasn't sure she could accept that, but he could give her something that Stefan couldn't.

Fun.

Damon still ensured her safety. He'd broken out of the tomb in order to save her. He'd covered up the fact that she had ventured to his room in the middle of night. He did that so she wouldn't get hurt. By Stefan or anyone else. He'd done everything in his power to keep her safe; even to the point of feeding her his blood to keep her alive.

Elena could still remember drinking his blood. It was certainly a highlight in her life. Nothing could compare to that experience. To that feeling. If she had to pinpoint the single moment that everything changed, it was when they fed from each other. He'd kept her from dying by the simple action.

Breaking out of her thoughts, Elena remembered that Stefan was still waiting for an answer. Just as she opened her mouth to respond, he interrupted her. "If it takes that long to think about the answer, I think I know what it is and I don't think I want to hear it come out of your mouth." Without another word, Stefan got up and left the room.

Elena figured his departure from the room was a message, and so she grabbed her purse and headed back home.

She turned onto her street, when she was suddenly grabbed from behind. Elena turned around to face her attacker. Her entire body sagged as she lost consciousness at her mirror reflection standing before her.


	11. Bedroom Attack

A/N: i know it's short, but i had no choice but to stop it here.....let me know what you guys think....

-Fen

* * *

"I have a surprise for you."

Damon gave Katherine a thoughtful look as he walked in the door. "Good or scary?"

"Depends." Katherine replied raising an eyebrow in suggestion.

"By the looks of it, I guess I don't have time for a quick bite." Damon replied and followed Katherine to one of the bedrooms upstairs he had not been acquainted with. "Close your eyes." Damon rolled his eyes before closing them. Katherine took one of his hands and led him into the room. "I thought I'd help you out a little. Open up."

Damon opened his eyes to see a frightful scene before him. Elena was bound and gagged laying on the bed in the room. "Katherine? What have you done?" Damon moved toward Elena but stopped dead in his tracks when he heard Katherine's response.

"I can't let you kill Stefan, but I figured killing his girlfriend would get you the revenge you want and deserve."

Damon turned and looked at Katherine to see if she was being serious. She was. Damon sauntered back to Katherine's side. "If only I'd thought of it myself." Wrapping an arm around Katherine's waist, Damon leaned in and brushed his lips across hers. Glancing back at Elena, he whispered, "Thank you." Katherine nodded with a grin forming on her lips. "Maybe I'll have a little fun first." There's no way to describe the grin that fell on Katherine's lips other than pure evil.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't." Katherine said as she retreated from the room and closed the door behind her.

Damon immediately turned and stalked over to the bed Elena was still laying on. Her eyes wide as he leaned down and grabbed her. Hoisting her up to a sitting position, he pulled the ropes that bound her hand and feet and gently removed the gag from her mouth. "How did you get here?" Sincerity filled his voice.

Elena just stared at him and looked between him and the door. Damon shrugged. "You think you can discuss how you're going to kill me and then start with small talk?"

"Elena, we don't have much time before she comes back to check in. How did you get here?"

Elena was more than slightly confused. "I don't know. The last thing I remember is walking home and then seeing her. I'm assuming I passed out."

Damon reached forward with both his hands and pushed the hair from her shoulders. Checking both sides of her neck, he ensured she wasn't harmed. "She didn't bite you. That's a good thing."

"So it's a good thing that I'm here obviously waiting for my death?" Elena was more than pissed and scared at the same time.

"I didn't say that." Damon's plotting and devious mind was trying to work coherently on a way to get Elena out of the house without harming her. "You've certainly got yourself in deep this time." Damon muttered, his hands still on her shoulders and slightly around her neck.

"Damon, what's going on? What's she doing back here?"

Damon smirked and removed his hands from her body. "She's an old friend."

Elena quickly registered what he meant. "You're staying here? With her?"

"You're not loving have the whole boarding house to yourself with Stefan."

Elena dropped her gaze from Damon's. "I think we both know that Stefan and I are over. There's no way to go back."

"No way to forget the tomb." Damon said, standing up from the bed.

"Yea." Elena returned her gaze to Damon, but he was no longer facing her.

"Elena, for right now, you're going to have to trust me. You can do that?"

"Why? What are you going to do?"

"Can you trust me?"

Without a second thought, she replied, "With my life."

Damon was momentarily stunned by the admission, but quickly turned that off as he turned and lunged at the bed, pinning Elena down as he tore at her shirt and sank his fangs gently into her neck.

Elena couldn't help but start to push at him. Clawing at his skin, she tried shoving his solid frame off her lithe body; to no avail. He was too strong. Elena contemplated whether or not she had put too much trust in Damon, but understood what he was doing when the door opened only a few seconds after the start of his attack.

"My, my, you certainly jumped right into the fun." Elena heard Katherine's voice as Damon pulled his fangs from her neck. Like in the tomb, he gently licked at the wounds before getting off the bed.

"If something's worth doing, it's worth doing right." Damon replied as he went to work tying Elena securely to the bed and replacing the gag in her mouth.

"Wouldn't it be easier to just compel her to stay?" Katherine asked as Damon walked toward the door.

"But then it wouldn't be as real." Shooting one final look back at Elena, he left the room. Katherine followed and closed the door behind her.

Once back downstairs, Damon started for the door. "Going out so late?"

"Just need to burn off the extra energy." Damon smirked. "I'll be home soon." Brushing another kiss across Katherine's lips, Damon left the house.

He needed to decide what he was going to do. He could either play with and kill Elena and spend eternity with Katherine, or he could rescue Elena from the house and spend the rest of his life running from his past. He didn't know how long Katherine would hunt him, but it was inevitable that she would.

Damon had searched for Katherine for so long, and now he had her; but in order to keep her, he would have to kill Elena. He had the one thing he'd looked forward to all his vampiric years sitting in a house waiting for his return so they could go to bed, and yet he dreaded returning because he would have to hear Elena's heartbeat while he slept in a different bed. Next to a different person.

The choice was going to be harder than any other choice he'd ever made. He was a selfish person. Always had been. When he needed to make a choice, he always took his own side, but now he couldn't decide if his own hide was more important.

While Damon wandered around Mystic Falls trying to make up his mind, Elena lay in a strange room in a strange bed, wondering when her look-alike would return to the room. Elena's heartbeat went from calm to erratic to super-overdrive. Sure Damon said to trust him, but after he attacked her, she wasn't so sure placing her trust in him was well done.

Of course he'd only attacked her to make it look good for Katherine, but Elena couldn't help but think that was a show. Maybe he wasn't playing Katherine. Maybe he was playing her. Maybe he really was going to kill her and leave her drained body on the door step of the boarding house. Oh how Damon would love to see Stefan's face when he opened the door. Elena cringed at the idea of Damon rejoicing in his brother's misery.

Could Damon really do that? After everything? Elena wanted to believe that he couldn't, but she'd only known him a short time and he'd already had multiple lifetimes to perfect lying. Even his sincerity couldn't be trusted. She'd seen him show a soft side many times before, and he could snap out of it in less than a heartbeat.

Even in those most sincere moments, he'd only truly been sincere about one thing. His love for Katherine. That's what scared Elena more than anything. Had it been any other vampire _friend_ of his, she could see him betraying them for her sake. They'd at the very least become friends. He'd already proven that he'd save her life. But if his choice was between her and the vampire he'd willingly go through hell for, she couldn't be sure of the choice he'd make.

As she laid there on the bed contemplating her demise, the scariest thought entered her mind. Dying was scary, but she could handle it. After learning that vampires really existed, she'd had the mental debate, and came to accept that she could die just for knowing that vampires existed, let alone by a random feeding. No, what scared her the most was that if she was going to die in that house, she was going to be killed by the vampire she'd fallen in love with.


	12. No Choice

A/N: okay, so it's looking like there's only one chapter left after this....hope you guys have enjoyed the ride...and i promise to hang out in mystic falls awhile and write more TVD fics....let me know what you think of this one....

-Reaper

* * *

"Where's Elena?" Stefan asked, not bothering to down on the bar stool next to his brother.

Damon had wandered through the wilderness long enough. He needed a drink before he headed back to the house. His mind still not made up. "You should put a low jack on your girlfriend. You seem to lose her a lot."

Stefan ground his teeth together. "She's not my girlfriend anymore. You made sure of that. Now I'm only going to ask you one more time. Where is Elena?"

"Or what?" Damon shot a glare at his brother.

"Damon, she went missing on her walk home. I'm sure you had something to do with it. If not you, then Katherine."

Damon's head snapped in his brother's direction. _How'd he know Katherine's back in town? _Damon knew there was no sense in denying it, so he played along, "What makes you think I know where Elena is? Hmm?" He lifted his eyebrows as he took another gulp of his drink and put the empty glass on the bar. Motioning for the bartender to refill, Damon took his eyes away from Stefan.

"Elena suddenly goes missing as soon as I hear that Katherine for whatever reason found her way back into town, and I'm not supposed to assume that you have something to do with it?"

Damon looked at his brother after taking a pull on his newly filled glass. "I had absolutely nothing to do with Elena disappearing." It was the truth. "But I'll be sure to keep an eye out for her. If I see her, I'll let her know you're looking for her."

"Damon, now is not the time to be an ass."

"I can't help it. It's genetic, although I think it's a bit more dominant in you than me." With that, Damon finished his scotch and got up from the bar. Dropping cash on the counter to pay for the drink and leave a hefty tip, he left the Mystic Grill without another word to his brother.

Moving through the woods, it didn't take him long to notice that he was being followed. _Of course Stefan would follow. He's hoping I'll lead him to Elena and he's right. _With a smirk on his face at his thoughts, he started to loop around in circles. _Doesn't mean I have to allow him to follow._

When he knew that Stefan had absolutely no idea where he was, just that he was on Damon's trail, Damon appeared out of nowhere and threw his brother an easy sixty feet. Swiftly jumping on the opportunity, he rushed Stefan's fallen form and rammed him into a tree branch. "You know I hate it when you pester." Damon left his brother literally hanging from the tree he had impaled him on.

With the new information he'd gathered from Stefan at the Grill, he needed time to think more. He'd had his mind made up, but knowing that Stefan and Elena weren't together as a couple anymore certainly changed things. Elena hadn't said anything when he was in the room with her. _Like she had a chance with my fangs in her neck_.

It took Damon another hour to finally make up his mind before he returned to the house occupied by the majority of the vampire population in Mystic Falls.

Taking the stairs, he made it the second floor and into the bedroom he shared with Katherine. She was already sleeping in the bed, like he figured she would be. Turning and exiting the room, he walked down the hall to the room he knew Elena was in.

His hand hesitated on the door knob. He wasn't sure he really wanted to go in that room. He could smell her fear through the door. Just as he was about to open the door, he heard foot steps coming down the hall. "She's fine. I checked on her not long ago." Damon spun around to see Anna standing in the dark hallway.

"What makes you think I care if she's fine?" Damon spat the words as best he could, although internally he was relieved that she was in fact fine.

"You can convince my mother and Katherine all you want, but you forget that I've been here longer. I've seen you with her. So deny it to everyone else, but I _know_ you do care."

Damon twisted his neck, not liking the fact that someone had taken notice to his feelings. It meant he wasn't hiding them well enough. "Has she rested?"

Anna nodded her head. "I gave her an herbal tea to help her relax. She fell asleep not long after that." Damon nodded his head. "What are you gonna do?"

"About what?" Damon slipped back into his normal persona.

"Hmmph." Anna shot him a glare. "You really have that denial thing down. I mean, what are you going to do about Elena and Katherine. You can't choose both, because either one will want the other dead."

"There isn't really a choice then, is there?" Damon replied cryptically, turning and walking back to the bedroom he shared with Katherine.

Silently removing his boots, jacket and shirt, he slipped into the bed next to her, reaching his arm out for Katherine to curl into his embrace. Damon kissed the top of her head as he drifted off to sleep.

Damon woke up late the following day. It was nearly noon when he finally stirred from his restful sleep. He immediately noticed that Katherine wasn't in bed. The next thing he noticed was a strange sound coming from a few rooms down. It sounds like a struggle. Then there was thumping noise. Like feet hitting steps as the body they belonged to was dragged.

Realizing what the sounds meant, Damon jumped up from the bed and grabbed his shirt, not caring to button it. Leaving the bedroom, he followed the sounds down the steps and the basement door. Elena was struggling against someone and he could only assume who it was.

Standing there listening to the events in the basement, he neglected to notice another presence in the kitchen. "Katherine has a surprise for you." Damon turned around once again to find Anna standing behind him.

"You need to stop doing that."

"Why? It's fun." Anna replied twitching her eyebrow.

"What kinda surprise?"

"I'm not supposed to tell. Mother insisted that you see it first."

"Why did they take Elena into the basement?"

"Part of the surprise."

"Did they hurt her?"

"No more than necessary to get her into the basement. Katherine has made it very clear that no one is to harm Elena but you. She is _your_ gift." Damon nodded and looked to be deep in thought.

"You're not really going to kill her, are you?" Anna asked. Her feelings for the younger Gilbert sibling were obviously clouding her judgment regarding the older Gilbert.

"I thought we already discussed this last night. I don't have a choice in what happens."

Before Anna could respond, Katherine appeared at the top of the steps leading to the basement. "Damon? How long have you been awake?" Leaning on her tip toes, she kissed him softly before pulling away to look him over. "Get dressed. I have a wonderful surprise for you in the basement." Her lips curled into a cruel smile, but Damon did as told.

He went to the bedroom and changed his clothes, putting on his boots, but leaving his leather jacket on the back of the chair in the bedroom.

Damon closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Holding it for an inordinate amount of time, he finally released it as he left the bedroom and headed towards the basement. Katherine was waiting for him. Reaching her hand out, Damon took it and let her lead him down the rickety steps of the old house.

Once in the basement, the pungent smell of vervain filled the room. Wondering why vervain would even be in the house, Damon's eyes started darting around the room, trying to find the source. He didn't have to look long.

Strung up in the corner of the basement was a very familiar body with a very familiar wound protruding from its chest. His arms tied high above his head with vervain soaked ropes. his feet were at least a foot off the ground. "Stefan?" Damon questioned softly as he made his way behind Katherine.

Katherine turned and smiled. "I thought it would be more enjoyable for you if instead of delivering an abused and drained body, your brother could watch you abuse and torture the love of his undead life. There is no sweeter revenge."

Damon looked at his brother just as Stefan raised his gaze. Damon's jaw clenched when he saw Stefan's accusatory face. _Of course, you thought I was behind this whole thing. Playing the game better than I ever have before. Of course that's what you'd think._ Damon moved forward and landed his fist in Stefan's gut before he turned to Katherine.

It was only then that Damon took in Elena being in the basement. Katherine was standing behind Elena, watching Damon intently. Elena was bound similarly to Stefan with her arms tied above her head and her toes just barely touching the floor.

Damon could taste the salt in the air from the sweat pouring out of Elena's body. He could see the tear trails down her cheeks. He could feel her disappointment in him after saying she trusted him with her life. He could hear the soft whimpers escaping her mouth. He could smell the fear rolling off her in waves.

Moving to Elena, he adjusted the ropes on her arms so her feet were closer to the ground, allowing her body to rest slightly. Damon looked at Katherine. "What do you think? Let them stress a little longer?"

Katherine's eyes narrowed. "You're not going soft on me now are you, Damon? I thought you would love this."

Damon moved past Elena, trying his best to ignore her eyes, and wrapped an arm around Katherine. "Of course I do. I just want to thoroughly enjoy it, and I've just woken up. Let me get a drink and wake up. Then we'll play." Damon turned to retreat back up the stairs of the basement.

"No." He heard Katherine's tone. It was not one to be argued with. "Either you do this now, or I do, and you'll be the next one to die."

Damon absolutely hated ultimatums and it seemed like he'd been in one ever since returning to Mystic Falls. Why did this town always do this to him?

Without a single word, Damon turned around and looked Katherine in the eye. She had centuries on him. There was no sense arguing with her. As he walked closer, Katherine moved Elena's hair off her shoulder. "Have a drink. It will wake you up."

Stefan lifted his head once again as he saw his brother's head descend on Elena's neck. He dropped his head, not wanting to watch Damon feed on Elena.

Elena shivered as Damon's mouth moved closer and closer to her neck; but instead of feeling his fangs going into her neck, she felt his lips over the two puncture holes he'd made the day before. Lifting his head, he looked directly at Katherine, catching her off guard for a mere second. "Go to hell." He whispered as her body shook and quickly turned gray because of the wooden stake protruding from her chest.

Wrapping his arm around Elena's waist, he lifted her so her arms could relax as he untied her. Taking her weight in his arms, she let her hands fall around his neck as all the fear he had smelled earlier disappeared. No longer did he hear soft whimpers. "I was beginning to think I shouldn't trust you with my life." Damon kissed her forehead. "I'm happy you proved me wrong."

Damon picked her up in his arms and started for the steps. As he passed his brother, he shifted Elena's weight into one arm so he could yank the rope binding his brother from the rafters. Two long boards fell with the action as did Stefan's body.

Damon ignored his brother's yelp as he shifted Elena's weight back into both of his arms. Walking up the stairs, he was greeted by Anna waiting in the kitchen. She shot him a questioning look. "I told you there wasn't a choice." Anna dropped her gaze as she nodded her head at Damon.

"Mother is going to come after you." Anna replied, knowing that her mother had been looking forward to the death of a Gilbert since Katherine had mentioned Damon's plans.

"Let her." Damon moved through the house to the bedroom he'd shared with Katherine. He gently set Elena down on the bed, then grabbed his jacket and wrapped it around her. He placed the leather satchel into the inside pocket of the jacket, before picking Elena back up and heading home.


	13. Epilogue

A/N: okay here it is....the end...let me know what you think by leaving a review.....

-Fen

* * *

Damon lay in his bed with Elena's freshly clean body curled against him. She was fast asleep and occasionally he heard the soft rumble emit from his chest. The sound she'd easily identified as his purr, and apparently, as he'd found out, he only did it when she was curled up next to him. Oddly enough he didn't mind it; even if it meant he had feelings for someone other than himself or the recently deceased Katherine.

He lay there, with his arm around Elena's body, contemplating everything. How his life had changed by such a simple event. How, after one hundred and forty-five years of searching for the woman he loved, he'd killed the one person he'd spent so much time loving. Or at least he thought it was love. His mind was in such a disarray, he was beginning to question if he ever really loved Katherine after he was turned. Of course, he knew he had loved her when he was mortal. That much could not be disputed, but after that, he wasn't sure. Had he just been pining after his own mortality? Did he latch onto the one thing he could still have from his mortal life in hopes that maybe he could become mortal again?

Shaking his head, he decided he didn't want to even think about that. Instead, he let his mind wander. It inevitably traveled to the events of that evening.

After he'd killed Katherine, freed Stefan and got Elena out of the house, he carried her a good distance before she insisted on trying to walk.

Damon shot her a glare, but set her on her feet, if only to prove his point that she couldn't hold her own weight. He wasn't one to coddle, and if she wanted to try, he was going to let her.

It only took her two steps to stumble over her own weakened feet. Damon caught her before she even realized she'd started to fall. "I thought you trusted me." He said with a smirk, trying to lighten the mood of her near death.

"I said I trusted you with my life not my walking." Elena retorted and the two chuckled at the absurdity.

Instead of sweeping her up in his arms again, Damon chose to wrap her arm around his shoulder while he held her weight around her waist. "How 'bout you just concentrate on one foot in front of the other and I'll take care of the rest?"

"Wow. You sound like you've done this before. Do you help helpless girls in the middle of the woods often?"

"Only the pretty ones." Damon held her weight once more as she almost went down. "What did I say about concentrating?"

"How far are we from home?"

Damon smiled. "A few hundred yards."

Elena didn't respond, only nodded. She didn't say another word until they were walking up the driveway of the boarding house.

Damon opened the door and helped her over the threshold. "Can I carry you up the stairs, or do you wanna crawl?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Elena barked in a friendly banter-filled way.

"By all means, try it yourself, Little Miss Stubborn Pants."

"I'm not stubborn." Elena smirked as she let go of Damon and moved toward the stairs. Grabbing onto the banister, she started up, going one at a time. Slowly but surely, she made it to the top.

Damon had been sitting on the top stop, trying his best to keep his mouth shut as he watched her. Once she reached the top, he put her arm around his shoulder and picked her up. "You move slow. Even for a human." Walking her down the hall to the bathroom, he set her down her feet and instructed her to remove her clothing while he started the shower.

"But I'm tired. Why do I have to take a shower?"

"Because you're not laying on my sheets covered in dirt and sweat."

"How kind?" Elena teased.

Damon turned with an arched eyebrow and a smirk on his face. "If you wanted kind, you wouldn't be here. With me."

Elena bent over to take off her shoes when she realized that she wasn't wearing any. It didn't matter though, because the damage was already done. She'd lost her balance. Throwing her arms out to her sides, she tried to regain it, but wasn't lucky enough. With a plop, she landed on the tile floor and began to laugh.

Damon turned around to see what the commotion was. When he spotted Elena on the floor, he could only guess what happened. Checking the temperature of the water, he made his way over and knelt down on the floor in front of her. "If you wanted help, you need only ask." A sly grin covered his mouth as he reached up and grabbed her under the arms.

Easily lifting her weight once again, he held her with one arm while he undid the buckle on her belt and the fastenings of her jeans. Sliding his hand under the waist band, he pushed the jeans over her hips while Elena wiggled to let them fall to the floor. Damon's eyes never left Elena's, and hers never left his.

Raising his fingers, he let them graze the flesh of her abdomen before he pulled at the hem of her shirt. Slipping it over her head as she raised her arms, Damon glanced over her body. Not only to sneak a peek, but also to make sure she didn't have any wounds other than the ones he'd given her. _Wrist? Check. Neck? Check._ Damon's eyes were back on hers as soon as the shirt was over her head.

Quickly turning before things got out of hand, he moved to the shower stall. Checking the water temperature one more time, he motioned for her to get in.

Elena shot him a confused look, but got in the shower nonetheless. While she washed her body, Damon grabbed her a towel and draped it over the top of the glass stall.

The next thing he needed to find was a change of clothes for her. He'd thought about checking in Stefan's room, but decided against it. He didn't need to give his brother another reason to be angry with him. _Stealing his girlfriend is enough._ Damon's feet became planted to the ground as he did a mental double take. _Yea? No. Even if I did, you can't steal anything that doesn't want to be stolen. That's it. It's all Stefan's fault._ Damon shook the thought process from his head as he justified himself.

Heading in the opposite direction of Stefan's room, Damon walked to his own closet. _There has to be something she can wear in here._ Damon fingered through his clothes, namely his shirts. _No. No. No. Maybe. _He kept his hand on that one while continuing to go through the hangers. _No. No. No. Definitely No. No. Hmm. That'll do._ Damon pulled one of his favorite shirts off its hanger and proceeded to walking back to the bathroom.

He was greeted with the view of Elena wrapping the towel around herself while she ran her fingers through her hair. "I was wondering where you got to. Is that for me?" She asked, pointing at the black button down shirt with heather pinstripes that was in his hand.

"I'm rather liking your current attire." Damon quirked an eyebrow but handed the shirt over to her anyway.

Leaving the bathroom, he went downstairs to his leather jacket, which Elena had shed at the bottom of the steps in order to get a better grip on the banister. Returning to his bedroom, he pulled the leather satchel from the inside pocket and placed it where it belonged on the table in the corner of his room.

His body was exhausted, both physically and emotionally. Deciding he didn't want to sleep in his clothes, he took off his shirt and pants. Opting to go shirtless, he slid on a pair black cotton pajama bottoms. Laying down on the bed with his fingers laced behind his head, he waited for Elena to return from the shower. It didn't take long for him to hear her footsteps coming down the hall. She walked into his bedroom with the button down shirt on and her hair in a fast braid off one shoulder.

Elena smiled at his resting body on the bed. No invitation was required as she moved to the left side of the bed and sat down, quickly stretching out and letting her body curled into his. Damon sat up and pulled the sheet up over their bodies before laying back down for Elena to rest her head on his shoulder.

There was no way he could describe how he felt. He loved the feeling of her laying next to him, but also dreaded it at the same time. He didn't like the idea of becoming domesticated, but also knew that Elena wouldn't try to change him. At least, he trusted her enough that she wouldn't try.

Elena quickly drifted to sleep, which allowed Damon the time to let his mind wander. His head was bouncing around so much he had to forcibly shake it in order to stop the thoughts from going in and out at a rapid speed. All he wanted to do was go to sleep, but couldn't.

It was a little while after Elena had fallen asleep that Damon heard Stefan crawling up the stairs. He noted that his brother didn't even try to come down the hall, but instead immediately moved to his own bedroom. _Good idea._ Damon didn't want to even think about Stefan let alone have to deal with him.

It was shortly after Stefan's arrival at the boarding house that Damon was finally able to fall asleep.

Damon was more than pleased to wake up the next morning with Elena still curled into him. Neither had moved while they slept. In Damon's mind it only meant one of two things. Either they were so exhausted even in sleep their bodies couldn't be bothered to move, or they were already comfortable enough with each other, that their subconscious couldn't think of a better way to sleep than how they already were. Damon internally thought it was the latter, but if questioned, he'd certainly say the former.

Turning to look at Elena, Damon noticed that her eyes were already open. "Morning."

"Morning." He returned.

Elena leaned up as if to kiss him, but quickly pulled her head back.

Damon questioned her with his eyes, and she replied with a quick smile. "You have to stop that."

"Stop what?" Elena asked, not understanding what she was doing wrong.

"Doing everything for someone else." It was Elena's turn to question him with her eyes. "Everything you do is for someone else. Whether it's your parents, brother, aunt, friends, or Stefan. You only do what you think will be approved by the majority."

"Then what do you suggest I do?" Elena thought she already knew the answer he would give, but wanted to hear it come from his mouth.

Damon smirked. "For once in your life, do what _you_ want to do without fearing the consequences of what anyone else will think or say."

"Only if you stop it, too."

"Me? I live to serve myself."

"Exactly! It's about time you did something that someone else wanted you to do. If I have to do what I want, then you have to do what I want, too."

Damon knew he was opening himself up further than he wanted, but agreed.

Elena leaned forward and with her hand behind his head pulled his lips to her own. It was an extravagant kiss, or unforgettable. It was simple. Two pairs of lips touching each other, and before they knew, their lips weren't touching anymore. "I think I did something wrong." Elena spoke first.

"Maybe you should try again." Damon lifted his eyebrow as he waited for her to move. He said he would do what she wanted him to do, so he wasn't going to make the first move. Or second.

Elena smiled and leaned forward one more time. This time as their lips touched, she brought her free hand up to rest on his cheek as she brushed her tongue along his lips. Taking her lead, Damon rolled her on top of him and let her deepen the kiss.

This second kiss was of the unforgettable variety. They would later decide to consider it their first kiss. Elena pulled away and rested her forearms on Damon's naked chest. Staring into his eyes. "I could get used to doing what you want." Damon whispered, shifting her weight so her legs fell between his own.

"Good, cause now you're gonna make me breakfast." Elena jumped out of the bed and raced toward the steps, only to be stopped by Damon already standing on the top step. "That's not fair. You cheat."

Damon blocked her advances on the steps. "Wait." He instructed as she continued to try and get past him. Elena stopped, noting the seriousness to his tone. "This is home." He motioned between their bodies. "And as I'm not a full time resident again, I'm officially extending the invitation for you to become a resident." Without another word, Damon turned and made his way to the kitchen to start breakfast. He already knew what Elena's answer would be. _As soon as school is over._


End file.
